Cabinet Reshuffle: RS Prasad, Harsh Vardhan, Pokriyal & 9 Others Quit

Others who have resigned include Prakash Javadekar and Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Union Ministers Harsh Vardhan, Ramesh Pokhriyal Quit Before Cabinet Reshuffle.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Ahead of the Union Cabinet reshuffle at 6 pm on Wednesday, 7 July, reports said that Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ have resigned, the latter due to health reasons.

Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Babul Supriyo also resigned from his post on Wednesday, and thanked PM Modi through a post on Facebook.

"I am extremely happy that I go without a spot of corruption on me, having served my constituency with all my might," the former minister wrote in the post.

According to a statement by the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the President of India accepted the resignation of 12 ministers on Wednesday, ANI reported.

Other Resignations

As per a report by NDTV, others who have resigned include Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar, Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister DV Sadananda Gowda, Minister of State for Education Sanjay Dhotre, Minister of State for Woman and Child Development Debashree Chaudhuri, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ratan Lal Kataria, Minister of State for Health Ashwini Chaube as well as Minister of State for Animal Husbandry Pratap Sarangi.

Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad have also resigned ahead of the Cabinet expansion.

Additionally, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawarchand Gehlot was appointed as the governor of Karnataka, leaving another post in the Cabinet vacant.

Reports also suggest that BJP MPs Nisith Pramanik and Shantanu Thakur will be inducted into the council of ministers.

43 Leaders to Take Oath

According to news agency ANI, as many as 43 leaders will take oath as Union ministers in the Cabinet expansion.

A few of the prominent names doing the rounds are those of former Congress leader and now BJP MP Jyotiraditya Scindia, former Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi.

This is Prime Minster Narendra Modi’s first Cabinet reshuffle since his re-election in 2019.