L Murugan quits as Minister of State, fuels Cabinet reshuffle speculation

Union Minister of State L Murugan on Tuesday, October 13, resigned from the Council of Ministers and sought to relinquish his Rajya Sabha membership, saying he wanted to focus on strengthening the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tamil Nadu ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. 

His resignation has fuelled speculation of a Cabinet reshuffle, with several ministerial positions expected to fall vacant. Murugan was the Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs in the Narendra Modi-led government. 

In a post on X, he announced his decision and thanked Prime Minister Modi for the opportunity to serve in the Union government.

“From the son of daily wage labourers to serving in the Union Council of Ministers under the leadership of Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji has been the greatest privilege of my life. Now, I wish to return to the grassroots, stand with our karyakartas, and dedicate myself full-time to strengthening the BJP in Tamil Nadu ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections,” he said.

Murugan’s Rajya Sabha term was due to end in April 2030. He was first elected to the upper house in September 2021 and was re-elected from Madhya Pradesh in April 2024. 

Murugan’s resignation comes amid growing speculation that the Union government would conduct a Cabinet reshuffle before Diwali.

Reports citing government sources suggest that at least half a dozen ministerial positions would become vacant, marking the first reshuffle in the two-and-a-half years since Modi’s third term, when he was sworn in alongside 71 ministers in June 2024.

In his resignation letter, Murugan said his parents, who worked as daily wage labourers and cattle grazers, continued to lead a simple life in Konur village.

“I do not come from a political family. I come from a very poor family. My parents could never have imagined that their son would one day serve in the Union government," he said.

Murugan, who hails from Tamil Nadu’s Namakkal district, belongs to the Arunthathiyar community. He started his political journey from his college days, when he joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the BJP's student organisation.

He served as vice-chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) from 2017 to 2020. 

He was appointed as BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit chief in March 2020, becoming the second Dalit leader to head the state unit after Kirubanidhi, who held the position from 2000 to 2003. Murugan entered the Union Cabinet in July 2021 during a Cabinet reshuffle.

In the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, he contested from Dharapuram but lost to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)'s N Kayalvizhi by 1,393 votes. He also contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Nilgiris and was defeated by DMK leader A Raja by more than 2 lakh votes.

Murugan also contested in Tiruppur’s Avinashi constituency in the 2026 Assembly elections and was defeated by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam candidate S Kamali by a margin of 15,373 votes.