Hectic UPA activities for cabinet reshuffle

Hectic activities are on among the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) partners to make a cut for ministerial berth as the UPA government, headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is expecting its first ministerial reshuffle on Wednesday evening.

As per tentative proposals the new ministers will be sworn in at 5 pm and later, they will be allocated portfolios.

Sources believe that Tuesday’s meeting between Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi sealed the fates of the present ministers’ -whether they will be retained or removed-besides deciding on the new faces to be inducted.

Facing the Opposition attacks on many issues, including those related to corruption, the government is expected to nail some of the ministers to end the controversy.

Sources said no can predict correctly what changes would be brought in, though there are strong possibilities of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister AK Antony, Home Minister P Chidambaram and Foreign Minister SM Krishna holding on to their current offices.

The ministers of law, road and transport and highways and rural development held respectively by Veerappan Moily, Kamal Nath and CP Joshi are in a fluid situation.

Speculations are rife on the possibilities of Congress leader Salman Khurshid and NCP leader and Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel getting full cabinet rank in the reshuffle.

Some other ministers like Jairam Ramesh and Sriprakash Jaiswal are tipped for promotion to the Cabinet rank. Minister of state for fertilisers Shrikant Jena is another probable for elevation.

DMK’s T R Baalu can hope for a return to the Cabinet.