Cabinet Expansion - Wieldy and Inefficient Or Lean and Mean 91st Amendment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to announce the expansion of his Cabinet soon. This is being necessitated with eyes on the state Assembly elections slated for 2022 and the 2024 general elections. The Union Cabinet can have up to 81 members, but currently there are only 53 (with 28 vacancies). On July 7, 2004 the 91st amendment to the Constitution took effect. The size of the Councils of Ministers at the Centre and in the States cannot exceed 15% of the numbers in the Lok Sabha or State Legislatures. The logic underlying this amendment was quite obvious. Cost was not the issue, for in relation to the overall cost of government, expenditure on ministers is miniscule. The real problem is that with unlimited ministerships on offer the destabilization of governments was made easier. Unfortunately there seems to be little realization that too many cooks spoil the broth.