Cabinet reshuffle: Sanjeev Balyan joins Rudy, resigns from the post

New Delhi: Minister of States for Water Resources Sanjeev Balyan also resigned from the Cabinet, on Thursday night, after the news of Minister of State for Skill Development Rajeev Pratap Rudy quitting the post came out, ahead of the much-speculated reshuffle of the Union Council of Ministers.

Union ministers Uma Bharati, Radha Mohan Singh, Giriraj Singh, Kalraj Mishra, Nirmala Sitharaman, Mahendra Nath Pandey, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Sanjiv Baliyan are understood to have offered to quit after a nudge from the party to pave way for the Cabinet reshuffle, informed sources said.

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Earlier in the day, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah, along with General Secretary (Organisation) Ram Lal, met more than half-a-dozen union ministers at his residence and is believed to have sought their resignations, saying their services would be utilised in the party organisation.

Sources said that it was only after after this development that these leaders offered to resign from their posts.

The reshuffle could also see the entry of Janata Dal-United (JD-U) nominees into the ministry, with the party striking an alliance with the BJP in Bihar recently.

There is speculation that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley may shed the additional charge of Defence he is holding now.

Transport and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari’s name is doing the rounds for Railway Minister’s post. Incumbent Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu offered to quit last week in the wake of recent back-to-back train derailments that claimed around two dozen lives. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has kept it on hold.

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The appointment of Union Minister of State Mahendra Nath Pandey as the next BJP chief of Uttar Pradesh lent greater impetus to an imminent Cabinet reshuffle that may take place on Saturday, a day ahead of Modi’s departure on a two-nation visit to China and Myanmar from September 3 to 6.

There have been clear indications of an upcoming Cabinet reshuffle from sources in the government and the ruling BJP, but the timing remains uncertain.