KNews Desk: Discussions are intense regarding the reshuffle in the Modi cabinet and a decision can be taken any time. Many speculations are being made in political circles regarding the form of the cabinet after the possible reshuffle. If we look at the old records, one thing is clearly visible that the cabinet of the central government led by Narendra Modi has become increasingly young. In such a situation, this time also relatively young faces are expected to get more opportunities.
The average age of ministers is continuously decreasing
When the Modi cabinet was formed in 2014, the average age of cabinet ministers was around 60 years. In the cabinet expansion in 2019, this average came down to 59 years. At the same time, during the formation of the cabinet in 2024, the average age of the ministers was around 58 years. That is, there has been a continuous decline in the average age of cabinet ministers in the last decade.
At present, there are 20 cabinet rank ministers in the Modi cabinet, whose age is more than 60 years. Among these, Jitan Ram Manjhi is the oldest cabinet minister. On the other hand, Chirag Paswan and Ram Mohan Naidu are two cabinet ministers whose age is less than 45 years.
Among the ministers with independent charge, four are above 60 years of age, while one minister is below 60 years of age. Whereas the average age of the ministers of state included in the Union Council of Ministers is about 57 years.
Why can the cabinet be more youthful?
primary reason: Assembly elections are to be held in many states including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Manipur in 2027. The share of Gen-G voters in these states is said to be around 22 percent. In recent developments, Gen-Ji's resentment has appeared to be a challenge for governments. In such a situation, keeping in mind the young voters, there is a possibility of giving priority to young faces in the cabinet.
Second reason: The cabinet of Modi government has continuously become young in the last three formations. Between 2014 and 2024, the average age of cabinet ministers has decreased by about two years. Looking at this trend, it is believed that there may be some further reduction in the average age in the upcoming reshuffle.
Who will be out and who will get a place?
If we look at the past trend of cabinet reshuffle, every time there have been many shocking decisions. Usually, priority is given to those states where elections are about to be held. Apart from this, there have also been examples of removal of ministers who performed poorly or were involved in controversies. This time also the effect of these factors can be seen.
1. Eye on Bihar and Maharashtra
At present there are a total of 8 ministers from Bihar in the Modi cabinet. There are 4 cabinet and 4 state ministers among them. Assembly elections have been held in Bihar. In the cabinet expansion of 2021, Ravi Shankar Prasad, who comes from Bihar, was removed from the cabinet. This time too there are discussions about some ministers being left out of Bihar quota.
There are 6-6 ministers from Maharashtra and Gujarat. Assembly elections have already been completed in Maharashtra. Piyush Goyal has recently been made the treasurer of BJP. However, no official decision has been taken yet on whether he will be removed from the cabinet or not.
2. Share may increase from UP and Punjab
There is a possibility of new faces getting a place in the cabinet from Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. At present UP BJP President Pankaj Chaudhary is the Minister of State at the Centre. At the same time, the share of BJP quota from Punjab may increase. Ravneet Bittu, who was included in the Union Cabinet from Punjab quota, has recently resigned.
3. Lateral entry option also open
Earlier too, such leaders have been made ministers in the Modi cabinet, who were not members of the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha at that time. Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar is a big example of this. After becoming the Foreign Minister in 2019, he reached Parliament through Rajya Sabha.
Similarly, Ravneet Bittu and George Kurien were also not members of Parliament when they were made ministers. In such a situation, the possibility of lateral entry of some new leaders in the upcoming reshuffle cannot be ruled out.
Overall, many factors like age, elections in states, performance of ministers and regional balance can play an important role in a possible cabinet reshuffle. However, the picture will be completely clear only after the final decision is taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP leadership.