Cabinet Reshuffle and Expansion

On Tuesday, 5 July, 2016, the government of India led by PM Narendra Modi effected a massive expansion and reallocation of portfolios. The decision is believed to have been taken in consultation with party leader Amit Shah and other senior members. Apart from 17 BJP MPs, the new team of ministers includes 2 MPs from ally parties. Changes and New Faces

Ministers Who Have Been Dropped

The five ministers dropped from the Cabinet are

Nihal Chand Meghwal - Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers
Ram Shankar Katheria - Minister of State HRD
Sanwar Lal Jat - Minister of State for Water Resources
Manuskhbhai D. Vasva - Minister of State for Tribal Affairs
M.K. Kundariya - Minister of State for Agriculture

Know Your New Ministers

SS Ahluwalia (West Bengal) - Sworn in as Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Parliamentary Affairs
Faggan Singh Kulaste (Madhya Pradesh) - Sworn in as Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare
Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi (Karnataka) - Sworn in as Minister of State for Drinking Water & Sanitation
Anil Madhav Dave (Gujarat) - Sworn in as Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Independent Charge)
PP Chaudhary (Rajasthan) - Sworn in as Minister of State for Law & Justice and Electronics & Information Technology
Vijay Goel (Rajasthan) - Sworn in as Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports (Independent Charge) and Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation
Rajen Gohain (Assam) - Sworn in as Minister of State for Railways
Mansukh L Mandaviya (Gujarat) - Sworn in as Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, and Chemicals & Fertilizers
Parshottam Rupala (Gujarat) - Sworn in as Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Panchayati Raj
Ajay Tamta (Uttarakhand) - Sworn in as Minister of State for Textiles
MJ Akbar (Madhya Pradesh) - Sworn in as Minister of State for External Affairs
Arjun Ram Meghwal (Rajasthan) - Sworn in as Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs
Jasvantsinh Bhabhor (Gujarat) - Sworn in as Minister of State for Tribal Affairs
CR Chaudhary (Rajasthan) - Sworn in as Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
Krishna Raj (Uttar Pradesh) - Sworn in as Minister of State for Women & Child Development
Dr Subhash Ramrao Bhamre (Maharashtra) - Sworn in as Minister of State for Defence
Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey (Uttar Pradesh) - Sworn in as Minister of State for Human Resource Development
Anupriya Singh Patel (from Apna Dal) (Madhya Pradesh) - Sworn in as Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare
Ramdas Athawale (from RPI) (Maharashtra) - Sworn in as Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment

Changes in Portfolio

The cabinet reshuffle effected on Tuesday was not only a strategic political move but was also a carefully considered decision in favor of good governance. At least this is the message that NaMo tried to send to his ministers by not only adding 19 ministers but also redistributing major portfolios. Here are some of the major changes made yesterday - Controversial minister Smriti Irani lost the prestigious Human Resource Development Ministry and was allocated Textiles instead. Minister of State for Environment Prakash Javadekar was elevated to Cabinet Minister rank and handed the HRD portfolio. Javadekar told reporters that he was hastily summoned from abroad for the reshuffle. The Information & Broadcasting portfolio held by Jaitley was handed to Venkaiah Naidu. Naidu also holds the Urban Development and Housing portfolio but had to give up Parliamentary Affairs. Parliamentary Affairs went to HN Ananth Kumar. Ravishankar Prasad was named the new Law & Justice minister, a position previously held by D. V. Sadananda Gowda. The Rural Development portfolio previously held by Birender Singh went to Narendra Singh Tomar. Communications went to Manoj Sinha from Prasad. Santosh Gangwar who previously held textiles is now the Minister of State for Finance.

Understanding the Expansion

With the reshuffle and expansion, the cabinet has now reached a strength of 78 ministers. This is the same number as Manmohan Singh's cabinet. At first sight, the expansion of the cabinet may seem in contradiction with NaMo's promise of "minimum government, maximum governance". But a second look reveals a social diversity and balance with adequate representation from all communities and castes. According to Article 72 of the Indian Constitution, the government of India may hold a cabinet where the total number of Ministers shall not exceed 15 percent of the number of Lok Sabha MPs. By this calculation the current government can accommodate up to 82 ministers.

A Look at the Caste Equations

Both the timing and the design of the expansion and the reshuffle of the cabinet point to extensive thought and detailed planning on the part of the Prime Minister and other senior BJP members. Among the 19 new ministers added yesterday, five are Dalits, three belong to the Scheduled Tribes category, while two others belong to OBC communities. Apart from this, a well-known OBC non-Yadav leader, Keshav Prasad Maurya, has been appointed BJP state chief for Uttar Pradesh. The message is clear; BJP is ready to take on Mayawati and the BSP. The focus on non-Yadav Dalits and OBC is a challenge to BSP's traditional Dalit vote bank. The caste equation is likely to play an important role in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections (April 2017) and Gujarat assembly elections (December 2017) and the induction of new members has been made with this in mind. The addition of two women to the cabinet - Anupriya Singh Patel and Krishna Raj - is also likely to bring balance. Read More: List of Ministers of India

Cabinet Reshuffle and Expansion - A Closer Look

Ministers Who Have Been Dropped

Know Your New Ministers

Changes in Portfolio

Understanding the Expansion

A Look at the Caste Equations

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