Lucknow: BJP ’s decision to drop Union ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and BL Verma from the Rajya Sabha has stirred buzz over a likely overhaul of Uttar Pradesh ’s representation in the Modi Cabinet, with the party weighing the chances of inducting new faces ahead of the Assembly elections.
If Puri, Verma and Chaudhary all cease to be members of the Union council of ministers then UP’s representation would fall from 10 to seven.
Sources said the party is contemplating replacing Verma with a new Lodh face from UP. A decision to drop him from the ministry would underline BJP’s preference for “one person, one post”, while allowing Chaudhary to devote entirely to the party’s preparations for the UP elections. It is an important call to be taken by the party’s leadership,” said UP BJP spokesperson Hero Bajpai. The party is considering members belonging to the Brahmin, Lodh and Pasi communities for possible induction into the Modi ministry, according to BJP sources.
Verma, on the other hand, has been an important Lodh face in western Uttar Pradesh. The reshuffle could acquire another dimension if Union minister of state for finance Pankaj Chaudhary is also relieved of his ministerial responsibility. His continuation in the Union Cabinet would mean that he continues to hold two significant responsibilities of minister as we all as heading the state party organisation. That reduction, however, is unlikely to be viewed merely as a numerical loss within the BJP. Party strategists see the reshuffle as an opportunity to reset the social composition of the Union ministry from UP. “The party will consider all equations including caste, region and emerging leadership whenever it effects a reshuffle in the Union Cabinet.
A seven-term MP from Maharajganj, Chaudhary, a Kurmi, was appointed UP BJP president in Dec last year.