Smriti Irani gets charge of I&B Ministry as Naidu resigns
Smriti Irani, Union Minister for Textiles, has been given charge of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry after former incharge Venkaiah Naidu resigned. Naidu quit after the BJP government announced him as its vice-presidential candidate. Meanwhile, charge of the other ministry he was leading, Urban Development, has been given to Minister for Mines Narendra Tomar. Both Irani and Tomar will continue holding their current positions.
Naidu set to contest for vice-presidential position
Naidu will face off against former diplomat Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the opposition's candidate for vice-president, for the coveted post on August 5, two weeks after the presidential polls. Filing of nominations for the same started on July 4 and is set to end on July 18. Scrutiny will take place on the next day. Incumbent VP Hamid Ansari's term will end on August 10.
Cabinet reshuffle expected soon after Naidu's resignation
Experts expect a cabinet reshuffle at the end of the Parliament's monsoon session on the back of Naidu's candidature. Last month, while discussing the BJP's presidential candidate, PM Narendra Modi had talked about depleted bench strength, saying he couldn't lose senior ministers. Presently, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan are holding additional responsibilities of defence and environment respectively.
