Buzz of Union Cabinet reshuffle grows as BJP's UP Rajya Sabha list omits Puri, Verma
Speculation of a major reshuffle in the Modi Cabinet has intensified after the BJP named eight Rajya Sabha candidates from Uttar Pradesh without Hardeep Singh Puri or B L Verma.
Political circles are abuzz with talk of a major reshuffle in the Modi Cabinet at the Centre soon. The BJP has announced eight candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh. The names of Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Minister of State B L Verma are not on the list, which has given further momentum to the speculation.
The Rajya Sabha terms of both Puri and Verma end on November 25, 2026. Political circles are now watching whether they will be sent back to the Rajya Sabha or have to leave the Cabinet.
Puri is an important minister in the Modi government. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh in January 2018 and was elected unopposed again in November 2020. In 2024, he was given charge of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. With his name missing from the Uttar Pradesh list, questions have arisen about his future. To remain a minister, he must be a member of one of the two Houses of Parliament. Attention is therefore on whether he will be sent to the Rajya Sabha by another route.
Meanwhile, there is also talk about the Shiv Sena's representation at the Centre under Eknath Shinde. The Shiv Sena currently has 13 MPs in the Lok Sabha. It is therefore being speculated that the party's representation at the Centre could increase. Against this backdrop, Kalyan MP Dr Shrikant Shinde's name is said to be in the race for a Union ministerial berth. However, there has been no official announcement yet.
Whether new faces will come in from the BJP itself in place of Puri and Verma, or a constituent of the Mahayuti alliance will get greater weightage, will become clear from later decisions.
Some more names have come up in the reshuffle talk. Pankaj Chaudhary, recently elected president of the BJP's Uttar Pradesh unit, and Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra are both currently Union ministers. Under the BJP's "one person, one post" policy, there is talk that they may have to give up either their party organisation role or their Union ministerial post.
Political discussion has also picked up about the roles of Ravneet Singh Bittu from Punjab and George Kurian from Kerala. With these developments having begun in the backdrop of the Rajya Sabha elections, everyone is watching the possible reshuffle in the Modi Cabinet. Who gets a chance and who has to leave the Cabinet will become clear in the time ahead.
