5 Ministers Resign Ahead Of Expected Cabinet Reshuffle

Five Indian ministers resigned late Thursday evening, fuelling speculation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reshuffle his Cabinet this weekend.

Those who have resigned are Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti, Skill Development Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, junior Water Resources Minister Sanjeev Balyan and junior Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Giriraj Singh.

The five resignations came after India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah met senior ministers, including Finance and Defense Minister Arun Jaitley, at his residence in the national capital Thursday morning.

Highly placed sources said that at least two more Indian ministers, including Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman could put in their papers to make way for new faces in the Cabinet, which is likely to be reshuffled Saturday.

Rudy and Sitharaman are likely to be given party roles ahead of the general elections in 2019 when Modi will seek a second term in office, sources said. The commerce minister could be made the party's national spokesperson, they added.

New faces are likely to be inducted into the cabinet, including some from alliance partners like the ruling regional Janata Dal (United) party of the eastern state of Bihar. The party is led by Bihar's Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

This is likely to be Modi's last major cabinet reshuffle before the general elections.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)