Will PM Modi stick to picking ex-bureaucrats in possible Cabinet reshuffle?

New Delhi, June 30 (IANS) Amid speculations of a Cabinet reshuffle, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to chair a meeting of the Council of Ministers on Monday.

The question is whether the Prime Minister will once again induct former bureaucrats in his Cabinet.

As per officials, the crucial meeting on Monday is likely to take place at the newly-built convention centre at the Pragati Maidan -- the venue that will host the G20 summit in September this year.

The meeting comes in the wake of the speculations about a possible Cabinet reshuffle following recent parleys between Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President J.P. Nadda and General Secretary (Organisation) B.L. Santosh, and their meeting with the Prime Minister on Wednesday.

It would be interesting to see if the Prime Minister once again introduces some former bureaucrats or technocrats in his Cabinet. 

The meeting of the ministers comes ahead of the Parliament’s Monsoon Session, and the crucial Lok Sabha elections scheduled next year. In the run-up to the general elections, the Modi government will try to focus more on delivering on its poll promises. Thus betting on former bureaucrats with proven track record can help the government achieve its goals. 

In the last nine years, the Prime Minister has appointed bureaucrats in important positions in the government, including S. Jaishankar, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Hardeep Singh Puri, R.K. Singh, Satya Pal Singh, and K.J. Alphons.

In the case of Jaishankar and Vaishnaw, they were first included in the Cabinet and then made Rajya Sabha MPs.

The BJP also fielded two former officers in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the crucial Assembly elections in 2022 -- former Kanpur Police Commissioner Asim Arun and ex-Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer Rajeshwar Singh. Arun is currently a minister in the Yogi Adityanath government in the state.

With the buzz of a possible Cabinet reshuffle getting louder, all eyes are on Modi to see if he again springs a surprise with his choices.