Wednesday, 20 May 2026
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to chair a Council of Ministers meeting on Thursday, intensifying speculation that a long-awaited cabinet reshuffle and BJP organisational overhaul are likely to be carried out simultaneously. The meeting is also expected to serve as a mid-term review and convey the PM’s strategic priorities to ministries as the global oil crisis continues to impact India.
The cabinet rejig has been pending since the party picked 45-year-old Nitin Nabin to lead the BJP, and with elections in five states now concluded — including historic BJP victories in Bihar, Bengal and Assam — the political calendar has finally cleared for action. As Modi’s government enters the second half of its third term, all eyes are on whether he makes changes to the top four portfolios of Defence, External Affairs, Home and Finance, which have been untouched in past reshuffles. Leaders who delivered electoral victories across Bengal, Bihar and Assam are widely expected to be rewarded, while questions persist around women’s representation in the Cabinet after a women’s reservation amendment failed in Parliament last month.
