Dr Ranjan likely to get Union cabinet berth
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, July 06 2021: All the preparations for reshuffling of the Union cabinet at 6pm of July 7 have been made and there is high chance of state's Lok Sabha MP Dr RK Ranjan getting a berth when new ministers are inducted.

Rejig of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi led Union cabinet of the NDA government might give special emphasis on providing cabinet berth to representatives from five states where elections are due to be held in early part of 2022 including Manipur.

Dr RK Ran-jan had rushed to New Delhi following intimation by national leaders.

As per a report in the Hindustan Times there is high chance of inclusion of RK Ranjan when the Union cabinet reshuffles Wednesday and BJP national president JP Nadda had already called him to the national capital.

RK Ranjan is currently a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Environment and Forest.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to include young MPs as ministers when the reshuffle is effected and new faces likely to get cabinet berth could be from those having administrative experience particularly PhD holders and MBA and post graduate degree holders.

There is possibility of the new Union cabinet filling the gap between New Delhi and other parts of the country as also inclusion of ministers from states which do not have a single representative in the cabinet.

Those likely to get berth when the cabinet reshuffle is effected on Wednesday are former Congressman but now BJP MP Jyotiraditya Scindia, former Maharashtra CM Narayan Rane, former Bihar deputy CM Sushil Modi, former Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal, resigned Uttarkhand CM Tirath Singh Rawat, Dilip Ghose and Loket Chatterjee from West Bengal and young MP from Ladakh Tsering Namgyal.

The total number of ministers in the present PM Narendra Modi led Union cabinet is 54 though it should have 81 and hence a maximum of 27 ministers could be included.

However, some ministers were relieved from their posts and appointed as Governors prior to the reshuffle and hence a total of 30 ministers could be inducted into the Union cabinet.

Amid reports of election-bound states lobbying hard to secure berths in the upcoming cabinet expansion of the Modi government, leaders of BJP Manipur Pradesh are hopeful that the party's central leaders will acknowledge aspiration of the people to see induction of at-least one MP of Manipur in the union cabinet.

According to sources, the cabinet expansion is inevitable as some posts remain vacant and there are administrative issues owing to some ministers holding multiple ministerial posts.

The cabinet expansion is also being effected with an eye on the assembly elections due next year in states like Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Gujarat.

Few cabinet posts had been remaining vacant after Shiv Sena and Akali Dal snap ties with the NDA while Lok Janshakti leader Ram Vilash Paswan passed away, said the source.

In all, there should be 81 union cabinets, but the NDA government has only 53 ministers.

There is strong speculation that the vacant cabinet posts will be distributed among the five election-bound states in order to get the blessing of the people in the crucial polls.

Speaking to The People's Chronicle in this regard, a BJP state leader informed that the union cabinet expansion is not only imminent for smooth governance but will also be a strategic move.

As such, there is strong possibility of an MP of Manipur inducted in the union cabinet.

With reference to the recent state visit of a BJP central team led by its national general secretary BL Santosh, the leader opined that the viewpoints shared aired to the central team by office bearers and party MLAs of the state are certain to make the visiting delegates understand the eagerness to have at-least one MP of Manipur in the Union cabinet.

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