New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah held a three hour-long strategy meeting on Sunday (May 23), with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Sar-karyawah Dattatreya Hosabale and Sunil Bansal, General Secretary of BJP’s Uttar Pradesh Unit, to discuss the impact of the COVID crisis on the Government and BJP’s image and its fallout on State elections due next year, including in Uttar Pradesh, sources said.

Also on the agenda was a possible reshuffle of the Union Council of Ministers in July, depending on whether the Coronavirus second wave abates by then. Modi is expected to sack a few Ministers and bring in new faces to showcase his team for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The focus of the reshuffle is to send a clear message that health infrastructure will be doubled, and show that the PM is mindful of the sharp criticism over the mishandling of the second wave. With many experts warning of a possible third wave of Coronavirus before November, the Modi Government does not want the impression to gain ground that it has once again taken its eyes off the ball to focus on State elections in UP and Punjab due in March 2022.

Among the Ministries that will see a change is health. Healthcare professionals with whom Modi has been interacting have identified a few faces from the medical side and speculation is that Dr. Devi Shetty, Founder of Narayana Health, will be the new Union Health Minister. A few days ago, Dr. Shetty was appointed by Karnataka as Head of its Task Force to prepare for the COVID third wave.

During his interactions with pharmaceutical companies to speed up the supply of COVID-related medicines, Modi came across bottlenecks in the supply chain that he wants rectified. The priority for Modi is not only to bring the economy back on rails, but also address the pathetic health conditions in rural areas and to provide the best possible medical assistance to the poor.

Apart from Dr. Shetty, Modi is keen to bring in eight to ten new faces. Among the names mentioned are former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, former Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal, former Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Modi and Odisha MP Baijayant Panda. Experienced BJP hands tipped to make it to the Government are Bhupender Yadav, Meenakshi Lekhi and G.V.L. Narasimha Rao.

While Modi is being cornered by the Opposition from multiple sides, he has maintained a stoic silence. But his aides reveal in private conversations that the PM plans to turn the criticism in his favour by weeding out non-performers in his team.