New Delhi is talking about only one thing this morning: a big shake-up of the Union Cabinet before Diwali. The chatter began on Tuesday, when Union Minister of State L. Murugan resigned from the Council of Ministers and gave up his Rajya Sabha seat, saying he wanted to return to the grassroots in Tamil Nadu.
Murugan, who held the Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs portfolios, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking to be relieved. In his letter, he said it had been the greatest honour of his life to serve the country under Modi’s leadership. On X, he struck an emotional note, recalling his journey from being the son of daily wage labourers to a place in the Union Council of Ministers.
But his larger message was political. “Now, I wish to return to the grassroots, stand with our karyakartas and dedicate myself full-time to strengthening the BJP in Tamil Nadu ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections,” he said, closing with the party’s familiar mantra of Nation First, Party Next, Self Last.
Why this resignation is about more than Tamil Nadu
On the face of it, Murugan’s exit looks like a personal call, a minister going back to organisational work. But in Delhi’s power corridors it landed like a starter pistol. This would be the first reshuffle of the Union Cabinet since Modi was sworn in for his third term, when 71 ministers took oath alongside him. There has been no reshuffle in two and a half years, an unusually long stretch of stability at the top.
And Murugan’s departure is not happening in isolation. Ministerial berths have been falling vacant steadily, and the list is now hard to ignore.
The reshuffle maths: half a dozen empty chairs
Here is how the vacancy pile-up looks right now:
- L. Murugan: Resigned Tuesday as MoS for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, and gave up his Rajya Sabha seat. He hails from Tamil Nadu but represented Madhya Pradesh in the Upper House, with his term running till 2030.
- George Kurien and Ravneet Singh Bittu: Both resigned earlier this year after their Rajya Sabha terms ended.
- Hardeep Singh Puri and B.L. Verma: Their Rajya Sabha terms end next month, and the BJP has not re-nominated them.
- Dharmendra Pradhan: Resigned as Education Minister over the summer. The portfolio is currently held as additional charge by Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi.
- Harsh Malhotra: Has taken over as Delhi BJP chief, and speculation says his exit from the Council of Ministers is imminent under the party’s one person, one position norm.
- Pankaj Choudhary: Appointed chief of the BJP’s Uttar Pradesh unit, with similar rumours swirling, though party sources say nothing has been finalised yet.
That is at least half a dozen berths either vacant or likely to fall vacant. With that many chairs empty, a reset starts to look less like gossip and more like an administrative need. BJP sources have told reporters that a reshuffle may indeed take place before Diwali.
Modi’s review meetings set the stage
Adding fuel to the speculation is the Prime Minister’s recent calendar. Modi has chaired a battery of meetings with the Union Council of Ministers in recent weeks, reviewing the progress of ministries and passing on tips on improving governance. In Delhi, such stock-taking exercises are often read as a prelude to a churn in portfolios.
For the BJP, the timing carries its own logic. Diwali marks a natural break in the political calendar, and a reshuffle just before the festival would let new ministers settle into their roles ahead of a busy winter session of Parliament and a long list of state-level battles in the months ahead.
Tamil Nadu is the other half of the story
Murugan’s exit also says something about where the BJP’s eyes are. Tamil Nadu has long been the party’s toughest frontier, and Murugan, who previously headed the state unit, is being sent back to build the organisation village by village. His stated goal is clear: strengthen the party’s presence in every part of the state with an eye on the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Whether his Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh becomes the entry point for a fresh face in the Cabinet is one of the questions Delhi will be watching closely. The BJP’s strength in Madhya Pradesh means the vacated seat will almost certainly be won by a party nominee, potentially opening a path for a new ministerial inclusion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did L. Murugan resign?
He resigned as Union Minister of State and from his Rajya Sabha seat to return to Tamil Nadu and work full-time on strengthening the BJP’s grassroots organisation ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Is a Cabinet reshuffle confirmed?
No official announcement has been made. But with at least half a dozen ministerial berths vacant or falling vacant, BJP sources say a reshuffle before Diwali is likely.
Which portfolios are currently vacant?
Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs (held by Murugan as MoS) and Education (held as additional charge by Pralhad Joshi since Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation) are among the notable ones, with more exits possible.
When was the last Union Cabinet reshuffle?
There has been no reshuffle since the third Modi government took oath, making this a two-and-a-half-year wait if it happens now.
What happens to Murugan’s Rajya Sabha seat?
He represented Madhya Pradesh, where the BJP has the numbers to retain the seat, which could be used to bring a new face into the Upper House.
The bottom line is simple: one resignation may just be a resignation, but six empty chairs are a pattern. Delhi will be watching the festival season closely, because this Diwali might come with a new-look Cabinet.
