Cabinet reshuffle : Get set for game of musical chairs

Mr. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may have a new ministerial team today only as the much talked about reshuffle of Union council of ministers is expected to take place on today. Rashtrapati Bhavan sources, however, said they have not received communication from the government about the swearing- in of new ministers. The PM, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her political secretary Ahmed Patel met on Tuesday to give final touches to the rejig. Since last week, the trio has held five rounds of meetings, fuelling speculation that a substantial party- government shake- up is in the offing.

Sources said if everything goes by the script, the Congress may effect a major revamp of the party, too, on Friday. Sources said incumbents likely to be inducted into the ministry will be informed of it late on Tuesday. Home minister P. Chidambaram is keen to go back to the finance ministry but there is no official word on it.

The revamp will be focused on infrastructure ministries and on giving adequate representation to election- bound states. It will also focus on replacing some non- performing, tainted and ageing ministers with young faces.

K. C. Venugopal, MP from Alappuzha, on Tuesday night confirmed his induction into the ministry. He will replace Shashi Tharoor. The ministerial shuffle was delayed as Sonia was not ready with the blueprint of the reshuffle of AICC and reconstitution of the Congress Working Committee.

Since more than half- adozen ministers are holding dual positions as AICC general secretaries and in- charge of states, a ministerial shuffle has to be synchronised with that of the party. Tribal affairs minister Kantilal Bhuria, steel minister Virbhadra Singh, mines minister B. K. Handique met Sonia on Tuesday, triggering speculation that they may be dropped and given party work.

Minister of state for parliamentary affairs V. Narayanaswamy also met Sonia raising speculation that he may be given an important portfolio such as MoS in the PMO. MPs Janardan Dwivedi and Navin Jindal, and finance minister Mukherjee also met Sonia.

Apart from filling the four vacancies created by the resignation of Prithviraj Chavan, Shashi Tharoor, A. Raja and Meira Kumar, sources said, changes are likely in the ministries of steel, tribal affairs, law and justice, parliamentary affairs, HRD, minority affairs and shipping. Assam is likely to get representation in the cabinet in the form of a replacement for Handique, who has not been keeping well of late. Trinamool Congress is expected to get an additional berth, while the DMK is expected to get a slot in the place of Raja.