Before his visit to Myanmar on November 11, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to reshuffle his cabinet by bringing in new faces.
According to sources, at least a dozen other ministers will also be inducted in the Modi government and the biggest speculation is around Goa’s CM Manohar Parrikar’s name who is supposed to take charge as country new Defence Minister thus easing the workload of Arun Jaitley who will concentrate only on the finance ministry.
Though BJP top brass remained tight-lipped on the issue, party sources said Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, its prominent Muslim face; its youth wing president Anurag Thakur besides Parrikar are being considered for a ministerial berth.
Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha’s son Jayant could find a berth in the Cabinet along with the other new faces.
Some new faces from Bihar and Rajasthan besides a few from BJP allies like Shiv Sena and TDP are expected to find a place in the government, sources indicated.
The present strength of Modi’s team is 22 Cabinet ministers and an equal number of ministers of state, taking account of 10 with independent charge.
This reshuffle might take place either on Sunday or Monday, depending on the convenience of President Pranab Mukherjee.