New Delhi:
Union Cabinet may soon be up for a toss. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is reportedly going to undertake a Cabinet reshuffle after Parliament session is over on April 12.
Portfolios redistribution has become imminently crucial after the Bharatiya Janata Party successfully staked claim at the government in Goa and appointed Manohar Parrikar to hold his old post as state CM.
For now, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has been given additional charge of the defence ministry, vacated by Parrikar.
Both finance and defence are considered ministries with "heavy workload". It is likely that a new defence minister may be inducted.
In fact, soon after BJP's emphatic win in the 2014 general elections, Jaitley was given additional charge of defence but the arrangement was found unworkable and Parrikar then Goa CM, was inducted.
Speculation was also rife about a possible change in the external affairs ministry after Sushma Swaraj underwent a kidney transplant in December.
Modi expanded his Cabinet in July last year. HRD minister Smriti Irani was shifted to textiles and Sadananda Gowda was moved to the statistics ministry from law.
Venkaiah Naidu took over information and broadcasting portfolio from Jaitley while noted journalist M J Akbar was inducted as minister of state for external affairs.
