Modi Government Plans Major Cabinet Reshuffle as Top Ministers Face Exit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is preparing a massive restructuring of his Union Cabinet ahead of the upcoming parliament session, senior official sources revealed. The high-profile reshuffle could see the removal of prominent federal ministers alongside the historic induction of a highly regarded former central banker to oversee India’s economic portfolio.

1. Dharmendra Pradhan, Education Minister

Dharmendra Pradhan’s profile: Rising from the ranks of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Pradhan has served as a two-time Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha. He currently represents the Sambalpur constituency in the Lok Sabha and has remained a central minister for the past 12 years, leading the Ministry of Education since July 2021.

Reasons for potential removal: Pradhan’s administrative tenure has been severely hit by 5 major institutional lapses. These include the massive 2026 NEET examination paper leak, widespread evaluation discrepancies in CBSE board grading, controversial UGC equity guidelines, the 2024 UGC-NET paper leak, and prolonged structural delays in executing the National Education Policy of 2020. These compounding controversies repeatedly forced the federal government into a defensive stance.

Furthermore, escalating public demonstrations in the national capital specifically demanded Pradhan’s immediate resignation.

2. Hardeep Singh Puri, Petroleum Minister

Hardeep Singh Puri’s profile: A former career diplomat from the 1974 batch of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Puri formally entered the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2014. He secured two terms as a Rajya Sabha lawmaker and has held a cabinet seat since September 2017. He currently directs the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Reasons for potential removal: Puri’s name became entangled in controversies surrounding the high-profile ‘Epstein Files’ sexual misconduct case. In February, opposition lawmakers alleged that Puri exchanged 62 emails and held 14 meetings with Jeffrey Epstein between 2014 and 2017. Additionally, advanced age remains a critical factor, as the 74-year-old leader has already completed a 9-year ministerial tenure.

3. Ravneet Singh Bittu, Minister of State for Railways

Ravneet Singh Bittu’s profile: The grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, Bittu previously served as a three-time Lok Sabha MP for the Congress party before defecting to the BJP in March 2024. Following his switch, he was appointed a Minister of State and subsequently secured a Rajya Sabha seat from Rajasthan in August 2024.

Reasons for potential removal: On June 3, Bittu publicly declared his intention to pivot toward regional governance for the upcoming Punjab state legislative elections. He noted that after 17 years in parliament, he had packed his bags to return to his home state.

On June 4, the ruling party omitted Bittu’s name from its official list of 11 parliamentary candidates, leading to the official expiration of his Rajya Sabha term on June 21, 2026. The party plans to deploy him to spearhead its electoral push in Punjab, likely fielding him from a key assembly seat in Ludhiana.

4. Pankaj Chowdhury, Minister of State for Finance

Pankaj Chowdhury’s profile: Representing the Maharajganj constituency in Uttar Pradesh as a seven-time Lok Sabha lawmaker, Chowdhury has served as the Minister of State for Finance since July 2021. He was additionally appointed as the BJP’s regional chief for Uttar Pradesh in December 2025.

Reasons for potential removal: Adhering to the party’s foundational organizational rule of ‘one person, one post’, Chowdhury is expected to be relieved of his ministerial responsibilities. This shift aims to free him to focus entirely on grassroots management ahead of the crucial 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections and the 2029 general elections.

Chowdhury has uniquely balanced both governmental and organizational leadership roles for the past 7 months.

5. Harsh Malhotra, Minister of State for Co-operation

Harsh Malhotra’s profile: After serving as the Mayor of the East Delhi Municipal Corporation from 2015 to 2016, Malhotra secured a Lok Sabha seat from East Delhi in 2024 and was inducted as a Minister of State. He subsequently assumed the role of Delhi BJP President in May 2026.

Reasons for potential removal: The 62-year-old leader is highly likely to exit the federal council of ministers to comply strictly with the party’s structural mandate against holding dual positions.

6. George Kurian, Minister of State for Minority Affairs

George Kurian’s profile: A distinguished Supreme Court advocate, Kurian entered the federal administration in June 2024, managing portfolios across minority affairs, fisheries, animal husbandry, and dairying. He secured a Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh in August 2024.

Reasons for resignation: On June 23, Kurian, who stood as the sole Christian representative in the federal cabinet, formally tendered his resignation. This departure followed underwhelming electoral performances in the Kerala state elections, where the 65-year-old leader placed third in the Kanjirappally assembly constituency.

7. Shaktikanta Das

Shaktikanta Das’s profile: A retired 1980 batch IAS officer from the Tamil Nadu cadre, Das currently serves as the Principal Secretary-2 to the Prime Minister. His extensive bureaucratic career includes roles as Economic Affairs Secretary, Revenue Secretary, member of the 15th Finance Commission, G20 Sherpa, and Governor of the Reserve Bank of India from 2018 to 2024.

Reasons for potential entry: Das played an instrumental role in executing the federal government’s most significant fiscal interventions, notably the demonetization drive and the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). His historic 3 successive term extensions as central bank chief highlight the administration’s deep institutional trust in his capabilities.

8. Anurag Thakur

Anurag Thakur’s profile: The son of former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, Thakur previously directed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He currently holds his 5th consecutive term as a Lok Sabha lawmaker representing the Hamirpur constituency.

9. V.D. Sharma

V.D. Sharma’s profile: Hailing from Madhya Pradesh, Sharma is a veteran organizational leader with 3 decades of foundational experience across the RSS and ABVP. He transitioned to active party politics in 2013 and managed the state party presidency from 2020 to 2025. He is currently serving his second consecutive term as an MP from Khajuraho.

The administration aims to induct the 55-year-old strategist into the federal cabinet to cultivate the next tier of national leadership from central India.

Sharma maintains an exceptional reputation for structural management, having successfully guided the ruling alliance to sweep all 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh during the 2024 general elections.

10. Tarun Chugh

Tarun Chugh’s profile: Based out of Amritsar, Punjab, Chugh possesses deep roots within the RSS hierarchy. While he has contested state assembly elections twice without securing a victory, he has operated successfully as the party’s National General Secretary since 2018.

11. Raghav Chadha

Raghav Chadha’s profile: A chartered accountant by profession turned politician, Chadha was formerly a close lieutenant within the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). He served as a Delhi state legislator and vice-chairman of the Delhi Jal Board in 2020 before moving to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab in 2022.

Reasons for potential entry: In April, Chadha led a major political defection, joining the ruling party alongside 6 other opposition Rajya Sabha lawmakers. The administration intends to leverage Chadha’s intimate knowledge of opposition strategies to dismantle rival campaigns in the upcoming Punjab assembly elections.

Chadha’s historical expertise in managing successful state campaigns is expected to drive an aggressive regional push, expanding the party’s footprint among urban communities and Generation Z voters.

12. Sanjay Dina Patil

Sanjay Dina Patil’s profile: Patil initiated his political career within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), serving as a state legislator from Bhandup before winning a Lok Sabha seat from Mumbai North-East in 2009. He migrated to the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction in 2022 and re-secured his parliamentary seat in 2024.

13. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar

Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar’s profile: A medical practitioner turned veteran politician, Dastidar is currently serving her 4th consecutive term as a lawmaker representing the Barasat constituency in West Bengal. She was a founding member of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and maintained close ties to regional leadership.

Reasons for potential entry: Dastidar recently spearheaded a major internal rebellion, leading a bloc of 20 dissident TMC lawmakers to split and form an alliance with the National Congress Party of India (NCPI) to support the ruling federal coalition. Her anticipated cabinet induction serves as a direct political reward for orchestrating this structural shift.

14. Arun Govil

Arun Govil’s profile: Widely recognized for portraying Lord Rama in the historic television epic ‘Ramayan’, Govil formally entered political life in 2021. He secured his first parliamentary seat representing the Meerut constituency in Uttar Pradesh during the 2024 elections.

15. Nirmala Sitharaman, Finance Minister

Nirmala Sitharaman’s profile: Serving as a Rajya Sabha lawmaker since 2014, Sitharaman broke barriers by becoming India’s Defense Minister in 2017. She has continuously directed the Ministry of Finance and Corporate Affairs since 2019.

Reasons for potential portfolio shift: The administration is facing mounting economic headwinds, with national inflation hitting a 16-month high of 3.9%. To protect the Prime Minister’s signature economic target of achieving a $5 trillion national economy and establishing India as a global manufacturing hub, the leadership seeks a technocratic transition.

Consequently, Das is poised to take over the financial portfolio, while Sitharaman is expected to slide horizontally into the Ministry of Education.

16. Pralhad Joshi, Consumer Affairs Minister

Pralhad Joshi’s profile: A major political force from Karnataka, Joshi entered the federal cabinet in July 2021 after switching from opposition ranks in 2020. He has managed highly demanding portfolios, including Civil Aviation, Telecom, and his current dual charge of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region and the Ministry of Communications.

Reasons for potential portfolio shift: Given Joshi’s extensive legislative experience, the leadership intends to reassign him to a heavier, politically strategic portfolio. This shift is deliberately timed ahead of the critical 2028 Karnataka state legislative elections, where the party seeks to reclaim dominance.

Future Outlook

The impending executive overhaul marks the fifth major cabinet restructuring since the current administration took power in 2014. Historically, the leadership has not hesitated to purge underperforming high-profile ministers during critical junctures. Notable historical exits include the resignation of the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in 2018 amid personal controversies, and the removal of Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan in 2021 following pandemic management criticism. Similarly, senior figures like Ravi Shankar Prasad, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, and Prakash Javadekar were previously removed due to performance evaluations.

The impending transition further cements a growing governance trend: the systematic replacement of traditional career politicians with technocrats, retired bureaucrats, and domain experts in highly complex ministries. This operational strategy is already visible in the appointments of former Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar to the External Affairs portfolio, and former bureaucrat Ashwini Vaishnaw to lead the Railways and Information Technology ministries.

Additionally, the enforcing of internal organizational rules remains absolute. The party has consistently demanded that top leaders relinquish organizational control upon entering governance, a precedent set by senior leaders in 2014 and 2019. The structural pressure to secure a supermajority in parliament remains intense, especially following recent tectonic political shifts where 20 Lok Sabha MPs from the TMC, 6 Lok Sabha MPs from the Shiv Sena (UBT), and 7 Rajya Sabha MPs from AAP broke away to align with the ruling national coalition.

FAQs

Why is Dharmendra Pradhan expected to be removed from the Education Ministry?

Dharmendra Pradhan faces removal due to widespread administrative lapses that compromised national examinations. These include the major 2026 NEET paper leak, evaluation errors in CBSE board grading, and significant delays in rolling out the National Education Policy of 2020.

What prompted the sudden resignation of George Kurian from the Union Cabinet?

George Kurian resigned from his ministerial post on June 23 following poor electoral outcomes in the southern regional elections. Kurian, who was the single Christian face in the cabinet, finished in a distant third place in his contested Kanjirappally assembly seat.

Why is the government considering replacing Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman with Shaktikanta Das?

The portfolio shift is driven by economic challenges, including consumer inflation hitting a 16-month high of 3.9%. The administration wants a seasoned technocrat to guide its $5 trillion economic development plan, making former central bank chief Shaktikanta Das the prime choice.

What internal party policy is driving the exit of ministers like Pankaj Chowdhury and Harsh Malhotra?

Their exit is dictated by the strict internal organizational rule of ‘one person, one post’. Since both leaders recently assumed regional party presidencies in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi respectively, they must step down from government positions to focus entirely on election management.