Union Cabinet Rejig Buzz: This Ministry Has Changed Hands Seven Times Since 2014

Published 6 July 2026 · politics

Union Cabinet Rejig Buzz: This Ministry Has Changed Hands Seven Times Since 2014 Published By, Last Updated: July 06, 2026, 10:53 IST Since 2014, Modi

Union Cabinet Rejig Buzz: This Ministry Has Changed Hands Seven Times Since 2014 Published By, Last Updated: July 06, 2026, 10:53 IST Since 2014, Modi government has undertaken five reshuffles, with the last major exercise taking place in July 2021. Rapid Read The NDA government, which is close to securing a two-thirds majority, is preparing to push several key legislation during the session, including two constitutional amendment bills. (Representational pic/News18) Modi Cabinet Rejig Buzz: As the buzz over a Union Cabinet reshuffle gathers pace, several Union ministers are expected to be shifted back into key organisational roles within the BJP, while senior party office-bearers could be inducted into the government. However, sources told CNN-News18 that the abinet reshuffle in the Narendra Modi government is unlikely till the end of the crucial monsoon session of Parliament in August. Any exercise, if undertaken, is expected only in the months after the session concludes. As the buzz over a possible reshuffle grows, the pattern of portfolio changes in the BJP-led NDA governments since 2014 indicates a distinct trend: while the government’s core strategic ministries have remained largely stable, several public-facing and social sector portfolios have witnessed frequent leadership changes.

Since 2014, Modi government has undertaken five reshuffles, with the last major exercise taking place in July 2021. Since then, there has been only one portfolio change in 2023. I&B Ministry Tops List Among all ministries, the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry has seen the highest churn, changing hands seven times since 2014. The portfolio has moved from Prakash Javadekar (Minister of State with Independent Charge) to Arun Jaitley (additional charge), M Venkaiah Naidu, Smriti Irani, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (Independent Charge), Javadekar again, Anurag Thakur and is currently held by Ashwini Vaishnaw. No minister has completed a full five-year term in the ministry during the BJP-led NDA governments, as reported by Economic Times. The Rural Development Ministry has witnessed five changes since 2014, beginning after the death of Gopinath Munde. Nitin Gadkari briefly held additional charge before Birender Singh, Narendra Singh Tomar, Giriraj Singh and now Shivraj Singh Chouhan successively handled the portfolio. The Law and Justice Ministry has changed hands four times- from Ravi Shankar Prasad to D V Sadananda Gowda, back to Prasad, then Kiren Rijiju and now Arjun Ram Meghwal.

The Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry has also had four ministers since 2014, while the Education Ministry has seen four ministers- Smriti Irani, Prakash Javadekar, Ramesh Pokhriyal and Dharmendra Pradhan. Pradhan has held the portfolio continuously since July 2021 across the second and third Modi governments. Similarly, the Civil Aviation Ministry has changed hands four times, while the Tourism Ministry has witnessed five changes and the Culture Ministry four. None of these ministries saw a minister complete a full five-year term during the 2014-19 or 2019-24 tenures. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is the longest-serving home minister under the Modi government, while External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is the longest-serving standalone holder of the portfolio. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has presented eight consecutive Union Budgets, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is the second longest-serving defence minister, and Nitin Gadkari has retained the Road Transport and Highways portfolio continuously since 2014. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news.