Shiv Sena's Anil Desai to be inducted after Winter Session; Najma Heptullah could be made Assam governor

NEW DELHI: A minor reshuffle of the Union Cabinet is likely to be held after the winter session of Parliament ends. Shiv Sena MP Anil Desai — who returned from the airport at the last minute without being sworn in as Union minister in the last ministry expansion of the Narendra Modi government — will be sworn in as a minister of state in this rejig.

Senior minister Najma Heptullah may be made governor and the Ministry for Minority Affairs may be handed over to Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who is now a Minister of State in the same ministry. Naqvi is likely to be given independent charge of the ministry. Assam will have a vacancy in Raj Bhavan and Najma Heptullah is likely to be moved to the Guwahati Raj Bhavan, a source said.

“There is, however, still a question mark on the reshuffle issue, except, of course, that Desai will be included. It will not in any case be a largescale exercise like earlier,” a top source in the government said. Desai could not be sworn in last time because of the continuing differences between BJP and the Shiv Sena over distribution of portfolios in Maharashtra. “Since the Mahayuthi is back in government together, it is almost certain that Desai will be included in the Union ministry as an MoS after the winter session is over,” said the government source.