Guwahati News Desk: Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi is expected to expand the Union Cabinet in the coming days by inducting the Ex-Chief Minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday.
According to the sources, the Union Cabinet reshuffle would be the first of PM Narendra Modi led government is likely to see the induction of ministers from the five poll-bound States.
The present government also will keep in mind the 2024 upcoming general election.
The Union Cabinet can have a maximum of 81 members as currently there are 53 ministers. According to the sources, the government has all scope for PM Modi to add 28 new faces into the Union Cabinet.
The expansion in the Union Cabinet is likely to include Jyotiraditya Scindia, who left the Congress party ahead of regime change in Madhya Pradesh.
Sarbananda Sonowal who was replaced by Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma as the Chief Minister of Assam after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) winning the second term election in Assam.
According to the sources, the other top contenders for the Union Cabinet includes former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Modi, Narayan Rane and Bhupendra Yadav leader of Maharashtra and Chief of LJP Pashupati Kumar Paras.
The expansion is likely to see from Uttar Pradesh where assembly elections were scheduled for next year.
Other names for the ministerial posts in the Modi cabinet are Varun Gandhi, Ramshankar Katheria, Anil Jain, Rita Bahuguna Joshi and Zafar Islam apart from Anupriya Patel from Apna Dal.
The names were shortlisted after a review meeting of the ministers by the Prime Minister in consultation with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP Chief JP Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and BL Santosh.
Photo | PTI
