Harsh Vardhan, 7 other union ministers resign ahead of Modi's cabinet reshuffle

Ahead of PM Narendra Modi's big cabinet reshuffle, 8 union ministers have tendered resignation on Wednesday. Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Labour minister Santosh Gangwar, Union Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister D V Sadananda Gowda are among the minister who quit the union cabinet. Other minister who have resigned from their post include - Debasree Chauduri, Sanjay Dhotre, Rao Saheb Dhanve Patil, and Ratan Lal Kataria.

The expansion of the union cabinet is scheduled to take place this evening at around 6 PM. This will be the first cabinet reshuffle in the Council of Ministers by Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he assumed his role 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.

List of Union Cabinet ministers who have resigned are -

• Dr Harsh Vardhan - Union Health Minister
• Ramesh Pokhriyal - Union Education Minister
• Thawar Chand Gehlot - Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment
• Santosh Gangwar - Union Labour and Employment Minister
• Sadananda Gowda - Union Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister
• Debasree Chaudhuri -MoS Women and Child Development
• Rattan Lal Kataria - MoS Jal Shakti and Social Justice & Empowerment
• Sanjay Dhotre - MoS State for Education
• Pratap Chandra Sarangi - MoS Animal Husbandry
• Raosaheb Patil - MoS Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
• Ashwini Chaubey - MoS Health

According to latest reports, Babul Supriyo, Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has also resigned from his post. "I thank Hon'ble Prime Minister for giving me the privilege to serve my country as a Member of his Council of Ministers... I am extremely happy that I go today without a spot of corruption on me, having served my constituency with all my might and having enjoyed their independence when Asansol voted me back as their MP once again, with triple the Margin in 2019 again," Supriyo wrote in a Facebook post.