BJP Leader George Kurien Resigns from Union Council of Ministers, Sparking Cabinet Reshuffle Speculations

On Tuesday, senior BJP leader from Kerala George Kurien resigned from the Union Council of Ministers. His Rajya Sabha term had ended and the BJP decided not to send him to the Rajya Sabha again. George Kurien was the Minister of State for Minority Affairs and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. President Droupadi Murmu has accepted his resignation. Speculations of a Cabinet reshuffle have intensified since then. Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu's Rajya Sabha term also ended on 21 June. The BJP has not renominated him to the Upper House. Bittu is also the Minister of State for Food Processing Industries. Some new faces in the Cabinet and some portfolio changes are possible. In recent months, the BJP has given important organisational responsibilities to several Union ministers in their home states. Union Minister Harsh Malhotra has been made the president of the Delhi BJP, while Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary was given the command of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh last year.