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NEW DELHI: A cabinet reshuffle at the Centre is under consideration, with the exercise likely to serve as a mid-term reset aimed at recalibrating governance and addressing performance concerns, according to sources. The move is being viewed as going beyond the routine political management.
The proposed reshuffle is expected to focus on inducting new faces and dropping ministers perceived to have underperformed or remained in office without commensurate results. The government has, in the past, dropped senior ministers for reasons including underperformance and exceeding their assigned mandates.
Officials familiar with the developments said the timing is linked to the government approaching the midpoint of its term. Any delay beyond this stage would leave limited time for new appointees to deliver measurable outcomes ahead of the 2029 general election.
It is understood that key ministries are expected to be affected. Alongside performance assessments, there is an internal view that certain portfolios need administrative re-energising, prompting discussions on the need for periodic course correction to avoid stagnation.
The leadership has previously undertaken structural and personnel changes to counter anti-incumbency and inject momentum. Party functionaries cited earlier instances, including in Gujarat, where complete leadership resets were used to re-energise governance before polls.
Sources also pointed to internal frictions within sections of the ministry, with some members allegedly engaging in indirect political positioning against colleagues, complicating coordination and decision-making. The reshuffle, once it happens, will also address this concern.
The controversy surrounding recent UGC guidelines, which drew criticism and generated adverse perception, is also being factored into the broader assessment. According to sources, the move did not have explicit approval from the top leadership.
Separately, the appointment of Nitin Nabin as party president, over the long queue of several senior contenders including Union Ministers seen as politically influential, is being interpreted within party circles as a signal favouring a generational shift and the induction of newer faces. Party insiders added that the move underscores that individual stature is not necessarily a determining factor in organisational decisions, and the formation of the new national team is expected to reflect this approach.
The broader objective, sources said, is to ensure that by the time Prime Minister Narendra Modi leads the party into the 2029 general elections, the government is not encumbered by perceptions of underperformance within the Council of Ministers.
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