A New Bihar Face in Modi Cabinet? Questions Grow Around Giriraj Singh’s Future

By MANISH ANAND

As talk of a cabinet reshuffle intensifies, political observers are closely watching Bihar. Is the BJP preparing a generational transition, and what could it mean for senior leaders like Giriraj Singh? A closer look at the party’s evolving strategy.

New Delhi, June 25, 2026 — Union Minister Giriraj Singh has so far been a key face of Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He’s known to have the ears of Modi for his illustrative claims on gains from cow urine in agriculture. Now that the Prime Minister braces for a Cabinet reshuffle, the spotlight is on Singh for his age and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seeking to assert connect with the youth.

At 73, Singh is widely being speculated to join the likes of Radha Mohan Singh and Ashwani Choubey from Bihar who were dropped from the council of ministers and electoral politics after their entered into 70s. In Bihar, the BJP has been gradually phasing senior leaders out of frontline electoral politics once they enter their seventies.

Singh hails from politically influential Bhumihar caste in Bihar. Along with Brahmins and Vaishyas, Bhumihar caste has been known to be highly loyal to the BJP in the Bihar politics.

On the national stage, Singh is mostly known for his bombastic claims and accusations, ridiculing the Opposition leaders and also launching broadsides against Pakistan. Bihar-based political observers claim that Singh’s utility in Bihar politics is now losing shine as a new crop of leadership has taken the centre stage in the state.

“We are going to host a meeting of stakeholders to discuss the use of cow urine in farming. The meeting has been called on the direction of the Prime Minister, who was impressed with Singh making claims that Indian farming could be transformed with the use of cow urine,” a Niti Aayog official had told this author a few years ago.

Singh’s weight in the Modi government has been quite impressive. The Prime Minister entrusted him important ministries, including Textile, Rural Development, and Animal Husbandry.

But political stock of Singh took a hit when his victory margin from Begusarai significantly shrank. The CPI nominee Abdhesh Kumar Roy lost to Singh with about 80,000 votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

As the BJP seeks to groom younger leaders as a strategy for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, spotlight is on Vivek Thakur, Lok Sabha MP from Nawada in Bihar. Thakur also hails from the Bhumihar caste and he’s in early 50s.

The BJP leaders from Bihar claim that “if Singh is dropped from the Union council of ministers, his replacement will be from his caste only.” Thakur is son of BJP Bihar’s influential leader C. P. Thakur, who had previously been a Union Minister.

Modi had given an honourable exit to Radha Mohan Singh. After losing Cabinet berth, he had become chairman of the standing committee on Railways, while the BJP had assigned him the role to oversee the party’s affairs in Uttar Pradesh.

Giriraj Singh, if he’s dropped from the Council of Ministers, may also expect an honourable exit on the lines of Radha Mohan Singh, said a senior Bihar-based BJP leader.

Modi Cabinet Reshuffle Enters Final Phase; Major Shakeup Likely Within Days

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About The Author

Manish Anand

Manish Anand is a senior journalist with more than two decades of hardcore reporting on beats such as Prime Minister’s Office, Parliament, BJP, Congress, Planning Commission, NITI Aayog, and scores of Union Ministries.

His past has been with The New Indian Express, The Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle, and The Statesman.

For about 15 years, Manish was also a regular commentator and host for talks on AIR on foreign affairs.

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