By TRH Op-Ed Desk
Analyst Manish Anand (The Raisina Hills) says Modi’s second third-term anniversary arrives amid toxic public sentiment over CBSE and NEET scandals, making a cabinet shake-up near-certain.
New Delhi, May 29, 2026 — Rumblings of a significant political overhaul within the Narendra Modi government have grown louder, with a cabinet reshuffle now appearing increasingly likely around June 9 — the second anniversary of the BJP’s third consecutive term in office. Political analyst Manish Anand, speaking in a recent episode of The Raisina Hills YouTube channel, offered a detailed breakdown of why he believes major changes at both the ministerial and organisational levels are now “due and imminent.”
“Signs of change have begun to surface in the Modi government,” Anand said, adding: “The possibility of a cabinet reshuffle is now clearly visible. BJP has already started organisational-level changes — four state party presidents have been replaced.”
The most visible recent move was the elevation of Union Minister of State Harsh Malhotra to the post of Delhi BJP president, while Pankaj Chaudhary — another Union Minister of State — was appointed as the Uttar Pradesh BJP chief months ago. Both appointments signal a deliberate reshuffling of personnel between government and party organisation, and Anand believes this is a preview of broader changes to come.
“As the Modi government reaches the midpoint of its third term, whatever changes are possible should be made now,” Anand observed, adding: “As time passes and the term advances, the room to manoeuvre only shrinks.”
The political backdrop for these changes could hardly be more unfavourable. The Modi government’s second anniversary in its third term arrives amid a storm of controversy — most notably the NEET entrance exam paper leak last year, and now a fresh scandal involving the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). According to Anand, a little-known Hyderabad-based firm — already carrying an alleged reputation for unreliability — was awarded a contract by CBSE to run an on-screen marking system for Class 12 board exams, without proper trials or testing.
“Lakhs of students and parents are deeply distressed and angry,” Anand said, noting that of approximately 1.7 million students who appeared for the Class 12 board examinations, over 500,000 have formally demanded access to their answer sheets — an extraordinary vote of no-confidence in CBSE’s credibility.
The fallout has placed two cabinet ministers squarely in the public crosshairs. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, whose ministry oversees CBSE, has faced sustained criticism not only over the on-screen marking fiasco but also over the earlier NEET controversy and the broader failure to implement the National Education Policy 2020 — a flagship agenda of both the BJP and the RSS. “Dharmendra Pradhan has been found wanting on multiple fronts,” Anand argued, adding: “His position was already weakened by the NEET controversy. Today, his performance has deteriorated further.”
Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, responsible for LPG and fuel pricing — issues that directly affect ordinary households — is similarly exposed to public discontent.
Anand pointed out that since the PMO is widely understood to monitor all central ministries around the clock, the failures of these departments cannot be fully separated from the Prime Minister’s own oversight. “The failures of the Education Ministry are also failures of PMO monitoring,” he said bluntly. “The question being asked is: what have you done to the state of education in this country?”
Adding to the political pressure, Anand highlighted the rapid rise of satirical political accounts on social media — such as the parody “Cockroach Janta Party” on Instagram, which surpassed the BJP’s own follower count within days — as evidence of deepening youth disillusionment with the ruling establishment.
“Modi watches social media trends very closely,” Anand noted, adding: “Political observers expect him to make changes to his cabinet that signal he has heard the public’s feedback — a ‘face-saving mechanism’ to absorb the anger.”
He concluded that a significant reshuffle of both the council of ministers and the BJP organisational structure should be expected “very soon.”
(Analysis sourced from Manish Anand, political analyst, The Raisina Hills YouTube channel.)
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