Cabinet expansion, reshuffle on the cards amid demands from BJP allies

A reshuffle of portfolios as well as expansion of the Narendra Modi-led Union council of ministers is on the anvil, particularly after demands from allies of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), including the Janata Dal (United) and Shiv Sena, that they be given “respectable representation”.

According to sources, the Cabinet reshuffle and expansion could take place close on the heels of the start of the winter session of Parliament. The session begins on November 18. On May 30, apart from the Prime Minister, a 57-member council of ministers took oath of office. It included 24 Cabinet ministers, nine ministers of