PM MODI MAY GO IN FOR ANOTHER CABINET REVAMP SHORTLY

BJP’s allies are pushing for a larger share in the Union Council of Ministers.

In a gesture to his coalition partners, Prime Minister Narendra Modi could embark on another Cabinet revamp exercise in order to accommodate Bharatiya Janata Party’s allies. The Shiv Sena, one of the oldest partners of the party, has already expressed its disappointment with the ministry expansion on 3 September and has taken great pains to clarify that the reshuffle was solely confined to the BJP and should be viewed in this light.

It is evident that the Prime Minister’s rejig was aimed at bringing in some fresh faces and promoting those whom he considered efficient. His entire focus was on his own party, and therefore, it was a conscious decision to leave out the allies for some other day. An intuitive and insightful politician, PM Modi wanted to utilise this opportunity to send clear signals within the Sangh Parivar regarding his pecking order, as well as to drive home the point that he expected cent per cent loyalty from his ministers.

The Cabinet shake-up was part of a larger game plan, which includes changes within the BJP organisation as well as appointments of new Governors, ambassadors and other key functionaries. The reshuffle helped in reiterating the perception that both party chief Amit Shah and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley were pivotal players in implementing Modi’s overall vision for the country.

The BJP National Executive is slated to meet on 25 September to mark the celebrations of the late Bharatiya Jana Sangh president and ideologue, Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya’s birth centenary. There is speculation that the party set up could also witness some changes prior to the conclave, especially since strictly going by the BJP’s constitution, the list of office bearers and members of the working committee needs to be redrawn.

Therefore, so far the Prime Minister’s primary concern has been to keep his party in a ready state, what with the Gujarat and Himachal elections coming up before this year is out and the Karnataka elections due in the first half of 2018. However, the allies are not pleased at being left out of the revamp manoeuvre and expect to be accommodated, even though the BJP, on its own steam, has a simple majority in the Lok Sabha; commanding a strength of 282 in a House of 545. The thesis is that the BJP is the largest constituent of the National Democratic Alliance, which at present comprises 27 parties.

It is in this context that the allies have been pushing for a larger share in the Council of Ministers. Previous to the last exercise, there was widespread conjecture that the Janata Dal (United), the latest