L. Murugan Steps Down From Ministry and Rajya Sabha, Sparking Talk of Cabinet Change

Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs L. Murugan resigned from the Council of Ministers and his Rajya Sabha seat on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. He hails from Tamil Nadu but represented Madhya Pradesh in the Upper House, and his MP term was supposed to last until 2030. Mr. Murugan stated he wants to return to Tamil Nadu to strengthen the party and prepare for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, adding that he wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to request this move.

Vacancies and Resignations

Other ministers have also left their posts or seen their terms end this year. George Kurien and Ravneet Singh Bittu had already resigned when their Upper House terms ended earlier, while the terms of Hardeep Puri and B.L. Verma are set to end next month. Dharmendra Pradhan also had to resign over the summer as Education Minister, leaving Pralhad Joshi to hold that post as an extra charge. Rumours suggest that Pankaj Choudhary and Harsh Malhotra might also resign after taking charge of the BJP units in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, though party sources say nothing is final yet.

Context

These multiple exits and upcoming term ends have left at least half a dozen ministerial seats vacant, leading to speculation about a Cabinet reshuffle before Deepavali. This potential overhaul would mark the first reshuffle of the Union Cabinet since Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his third consecutive term with 71 ministers.