With an eye on Assembly polls, Council of Ministers may be rejigged

The Council of Ministers may be expanded soon and the Bharatiya Janata Party is understood to accommodate more leaders from states ahead of Assembly polls.

Sources in the BJP stated that the expansion could be before the monsoon session of Parliament which is likely to begin next month. More leaders from Bihar and West Bengal are likely to be accommodated in the council.

While Bihar Assembly polls are scheduled to be held later this year, those in West Bengal will take place next year.

Winning both states is on a high priority for the party. The saffron outfit wants to retain power in Bihar, where it is in alliance with the Janata Dal United and Lok Janshakti Party.

The saffron party also wants to wrest power from the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal. It hopes to do well in the state where it emerged as the principal Opposition to the ruling TMC in the Lok Sabha polls held last year by winning 18 seats.

In order to accommodate new faces in the Union cabinet, several ministers may be sent back to the organization to prepare for the forthcoming Assembly polls and strengthen the party units in various states.

It is also learnt that Prime Minister Narendra Modi may also rejig the portfolios of several of his ministers. Currently, several ministers have been burdened with multiple portfolios. This may change and some of these may be allocated to the newly induced ministers, sources said.

The much-awaited reshuffle would be the first such rejig of the Council of Ministers after the BJP came back to power in 2019 Lok Sabha poll..