New Delhi, Jul 5 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inducted 19 new faces, including BJP leaders S S Ahluwalia, M J Akbar and Vijay Goel, while elevating Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar in the second expansion of his government ahead of political battles in Uttar Pradesh and other states.

Five ministers of state were dropped in the second exercise undertaken by Modi in a little more than two years since he took over in May, 2014 which saw a number of dalit and OBC leaders being given ministerial positions apparently with an eye on assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand next year and Gujarat later.

Javadekar, who held independent charge of Environment, was the lone minister to be promoted to the cabinet rank while all new inductees took oath as Ministers of State. Earlier, there was speculation that Power Minister Piyush Goel and Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will be elevated to the Cabinet.

Ajay Tamta (Uttarakhand), Arjun Ram Meghwal (Rajasthan), Krishna Raj (UP), Athawale (Maharashtra), Ramesh C Jigajinagi (Karnataka) were among the dalit MPs administered the oath of Office and Secrecy by President Pranab Mukherjee at a ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhawan attended by Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Modi, his cabinet colleagues, BJP President Amit Shah and leaders allied parties among others. No Congress leader was present.

Others who were inducted included P P Chaudhary, C R Chaudhary (Rajasthan), A M Dave, Faggan Singh Kulaste (Madhya Pradesh), Mahendra Nath Pandey (UP), Purshotam Rupala, J Bhabhor and Mansukhbhai Mandaviya (Gujarat), Rajen Gohain (Assam) and S R Bhamre (Maharashtra).
After the dropping of five ministers, today's expansion took the total strength of the Council of Ministers to 78, just keeping it under the constitutionally allowed maximum.

A Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said the President has accepted the resignation of Sanawar Lal Jat (Water Resources), Mohanbhai Kalyanjibhai Kundariya (Agriculture), Nihal Chand (Panchayati Raj), Mansukhbhai Dhanjibhai Vasava (Tribal Affairs) and Ram Shankar Katheria (HRD).

Akbar was elected recently to Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh while Goel represents Rajasthan in the Upper House. Ahluwalia was elected to Lok Sabha from Darjling while Anupriya Patel was elected from Mirzapur in UP.

Goel and Kulasthe have been ministers at the Centre earlier while some of the new ministers have held positions in state governments.

Official sources said the exercise was aimed at infusing more "experience, expertise and energy" into the government.

The choices also underscore BJP's attempts to strengthen its vote base among dalits and other backward castes, party sources said, adding that states, where it has done well in the Lok Sabha polls and also where it faces state polls, have also now got ample representation.

The saffron party has been trying to woo the weaker sections ahead of the crucial UP polls.

Earlier Report

19 new ministers likely to join PM Narendra Modi's Cabinet 

New Delhi, Jul 5 (India Today) : A total of 19 new faces will be part of Team Modi as the long-awaited cabinet rejig is set to take place on Tuesday morning. There are many unknown faces in the list suggesting the social engineering formula that the party banks upon ahead of state polls.

The reshuffle will have the imprint of upcoming Assembly polls in UP and other states. Anupriya Patel, an OBC Lok Sabha member of ally Apna Dal, Krishna Raj, a Dalit woman MP and Mahendra Nath Pandey, a Brahmin face in the poll-bound Uttar Pradesh might get entry into the cabinet. The combination fits into the party's strategy of social engineering in UP as they represent the three key voter blocks - Brahmin, OBC and Dalit, respectively.

People from all communities and social backgrounds have been brought into this rejig. The list comprises two leaders from ST (Jaswant Sinh Bhabhor and Faggan Singh Kulaste), five leaders from SC (Ajay Tamta, Ramdas Athalwale, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Ramesh Jigajinagi and Krishna Raj), two from minority (MJ Akbar and SS Ahluwalia) and two women (Anupriya Singh Patel, Krishna Raj).

CABINET EXPANSION

Following a tweet by Frank Noronha, principal spokesperson of the government, that the cabinet expansion will take place on Tuesday, over 20 leaders met BJP chief Amit Shah at his 11, Akbar Road residence on Monday.

Among others who met Shah on Monday morning are Arjun Meghwal and PP Choudhary from Rajasthan, Purushottam Rupala and Mansukhbhai Mandavia, leaders from Gujarat, SS Ahluwalia, BJP MP from Darjeeling, Vijay Goel from Delhi, Anil Madhav Dave from Madhya Pradesh, Ajay Tamta from Uttarakhand and Ramdas Athawale, a BJP ally in Maharashtra. Journalist turned Rajya Sabha member MJ Akbar too met Shah. All of them will be part of the new cabinet.

There is also a buzz that total six ministers might be dropped from the cabinet. Sources claimed that a few junior ministers including Sanwar Lal Jat, Ram Shankar Katheria, Nihal Chand and Mansukhbhai Vasava also met Shah. Giriraj Singh and Kalraj Mishra also part of the list who might be dropped.

Even as there was nothing on record either by the party or by the government about the possible changes in the cabinet, sources said that some ministers like Piyush Goyal and Dharmendra Pradhan may be given a Cabinet charge.

SHIV SENA NOT TO ASK FOR FAVOURS

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray said BJP central leadership has not held in any discussion with him on the Union Cabinet expansion and that his party will not stand at anybody's doors seeking favours.

"People from various political parties are joining the Shiv Sena. I have been busy attending to them and thus have not got the time to discuss the Cabinet expansion. One thing is clear. The Sena will never stand helplessly on anybody's doors asking for anything," Thackeray said. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis met Shah on Monday and sources said that there was a talk on representation from Maharashtra in the cabinet rejig.