Allies and performers will be rewarded in Modi 2.0 Cabinet

New Delhi:  Even as the count down to the PM’s swearing in has begun for May 30, several names for prominent ministries are doing the rounds in the capital. Sources close to developments reveal that the architect of Bengal’s victory Mukul Roy, once Trinamool strong man who defected to the BJP, is a shoo-in for a Cabinet position.

The Trinamool on Friday suspended for six years its MLA Subhranshu Roy, son of Mukul Roy. Roy junior was suspended for anti-party comments.

Three Trinamool Congress MLAs, including the party’s suspended legislator Subhrangshu Roy, left for the national capital on Monday evening and are likely to join the saffron party on Tuesday.

On Monday night, the troika along with Mukul Roy, who had himself jumped ship from the TMC in 2017 landed in Delhi.

All three are legislators representing Assembly constituencies under Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency, in which BJP’s Arjun Singh defeated TMC’s two-time MP from the constituency, Dinesh Trivedi.

Mukul Roy is a former Rajya Sabha member from TMC.

Similarly, JD U which turned in a stellar position in Bihar may well be rewarded with the Railways Ministry. It may be a toss up between two MPs — RCP Singh, a former IAS officer who like Nitish Kumar is a Bhumihar and Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh).

JD U which won 16 of the 17 seats it contested will probably get one more minister of State berth.

Rajya Sabha member Ram Chandra Prasad Singh, who is also a close aide of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, is most likely to get Railways in the Modi-led government. Another close associate of Nitish Kumar who has won the Lok Sabha election from Munger seat, Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh, is also in contention for a Cabinet slot.

For the third constituent Lok Janshakti Party, it is clear that Ram Vilas Paswan will return to the Modi Cabinet 2.0.

As far as BJP’s traditional ally Shiv Sena is concerned, it too put in a red hot performance winning 18 seats out of 20. In Prime Minisater Modi’s erstwhile Cabinet, Anant Geete who is Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Sector Enterprises. Geete, however, lost the Lok Sabha elections to NCP’s Sunil Tatkare in Raigad this time.

Two names doing the rounds for Cabinet berths are both Rajya Sabha members — Anil Desai and Sanjay Raut who kept a fusillade of fire at the Modi government as the Editor of “Saamna” and may well be nixed for that this time round.

Other contenders are South Mumbai MP Arvind Sawant, Yavatmal Washim MP
Bhavana Gawli, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg MP Vinayak Raut, Buldhana MP
Pratap Jadhav and Thane MP Rajan Vichare.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal is expected to represent the Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD) in the Council of Minister for the second consecutive term. In the outgoing Modi government, Harsimrat was the Minister for Food
Processing Industries.

Published on: May 28, 2019 at 15:43 IST

IANS