Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been carrying out an exercise of reviewing and assessing the governance record of each ministry and performance of the ministers, on Monday held consultations with senior ministers Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari.
BJP president J P Nadda was present in the meetings held at the Prime Minister’s residence.
Last week, the PM held hours-long meetings with various ministers, assessing the performance of each of their ministries. He met ministers in groups and there has been no one-on-one meetings so far, sources said.
The meetings come in the midst of speculation about a cabinet reshuffle.
Modi held a five-hour meeting with BJP general secretaries earlier this month in which he discussed the party’s performance in the recently-held Assembly elections and suggested ways ahead for the party. This was followed by free-wheeling sessions with the ministers. Unlike his weekly cabinet meetings being held virtually, these meetings were in person. The exercise is considered to be significant also because the party is gearing up for Assembly elections in five states next year. The meeting also comes in the backdrop of criticism against the way the government has handled the pandemic in the second wave.
Speculation of a reshuffle in the Union cabinet has gained momentum after the much-talked about meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda. It may be recalled that PM Modi is yet to expand his cabinet since the formation of NDA-II in May 2019.
If the central government goes ahead with the expansion, BJP leaders from different states are likely to be included in the Union cabinet. The names of prominent BJP leaders from Maharashtra are also doing the rounds in this regard.
The names that have surfaced are BJP Rajya Sabha MPs Narayan Rane, Udayanraje Bhosale and Lok Sabha MP Pritam Munde.
Narayan Rane: Apart from being a former chief minister of Maharashtra, Rane has also served as the leader of opposition in the state assembly.
In addition, Narayan Rane has been a minister in the state cabinets of chief ministers Manohar Joshi of the Shiv Sena and Vilasrao Deshmukh, Ashok Chavan and Prithviraj Chavan of the Congress.
A strongman from the Konkan coast, Rane is known as a 'Sena baiter' and played an instrumental role in the preparation of the report on Maratha reservation. The issue has since picked up pace in the Maharashtra's political circles.
If Rane is included in the cabinet, the BJP is likely to gain a foothold in the Konkan region. Rane's elevation could also help the BJP's chances in the BMC elections next year.
Udayanraje Bhosale: A direct descendant of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Udayanraje Bhosale switched over to the BJP from the NCP in the run-up to the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls.
Bhosale was elected to the Rajya Sabha after he lost the Satara Lok Sabha bypoll.
With the Maratha reservation issue picking up pace, Udayanraje Bhosale's induction in the Union cabinet could bode well for the BJP.
Pritam Munde: The daughter of BJP leader late Gopinath Munde, Beed Lok Sabha MP Pritam Munde is a prominent OBC face from the Marathwada region.
Her elder sister Pankaja Munde lost the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls from the Parali seat. Her supporters suspect that there was an 'inside hand' that ensured her defeat.
If Pritam Munde is inducted to the Union cabinet, the BJP could placate Maharashtra's OBC community. The discussion over OBC reservation in local bodies has gained prominence in the state.
Pritam's father Gopinath Munde had built a voter base for the BJP among the OBC community in Maharashtra.
(With inputs from agencies)