New Delhi, July 7: Ahead of the widely-anticipated cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at least three union ministers resigned today. Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal and Union Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar quit the cabinet and resigned from their respective positions. A few more ministers are likely to resign ahead of the cabinet expansion this evening. Modi Cabinet Expansion: 12 SC Ministers, 8 ST Ministers, 27 OBC Ministers, 5 Minority Ministers, 11 Women Ministers Likely To Take Oath Today, Say Sources.

Gangwar, who held the position of Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Labour and Employment, was the first to resign from the cabinet. Soon, Ramesh Pokhriyal, who was the Minister of Education, tendered his resignation. The latest to join the list was Dr Harsh Vardhan, who handled the Health Ministry during the coronavirus pandemic. Sadananda Gowda, Debashree Chaudhuri, Sanjay Dhotre and Ratan Lal Kataria have also resigned, reports said. Modi Cabinet Expansion: 21 New Faces Likely in Modi 2.0, Bihar Tipped for Lion’s Share in Reshuffle; Check Names of Contenders Here.

List of Ministers Who Have Resigned From Union Cabinet:

  • Dr Harsh Vardhan

  • Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank

  • Santosh Gangwar

  • Sadananda Gowda

  • Debashree Chaudhuri

  • Sanjay Dhotre

  • Ratan Lal Kataria

The resignations came hours before the mega reshuffle at the Centre. This will be the first reshuffle in the Council of Ministers by PM Narendra Modi since he assumed charge for a second term in May 2019. The Prime Minister is expected to bring in young faces and give representation to various social groups and regions in the reshuffle.

According to reports, 12 SC ministers, 8 ST ministers, 27 OBC ministers, 5 minority ministers, 11 women ministers, likely to take oath today. The new ministers in the Modi government who are likely to be sworn in include Congress turncoat Jyotiraditya Scindia, former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi and former Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 07, 2021 03:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).