New Delhi:
A much-awaited UPA Cabinet reshuffle will finally take place today. India will get a new External Affairs Minister, several new faces are expected to be inducted and some young ministers are likely to be promoted. Ahead of the big reshuffle, seven ministers have resigned. President Pranab Mukherjee has accepted their resignations.
Here are the 10 latest developments in the story:
Several names have done the rounds for the new Foreign Minister. Sources said on Saturday evening that Law Minister Salman Khurshid might take over from SM Krishna. Mr Khurshid, the sources said, would fit the bill since there is currently no one from north India in the big four ministries - Home (Sushil Kumar Shinde), Finance (P Chidambaram) AK Antony (Defence) and MEA (SM Krishna till he quit.) Earlier in the day, there was speculation that Commerce Minister Anand Sharma would take over the external affairs ministry.
In other expected changes, Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath might get additional charge of Parliamentary Affairs, sources said. His predecessor, Pawan Kumar Bansal, is likely to get the coveted Railways portfolio. Kapil Sibal could give up the Human Resource Development Ministry and hold charge of only the Telecom Ministry. M Veerapa Moily could give up additional charge of the Power Ministry, which he took on only in July. He is also Minister for Corporate Affairs.
Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Ajay Maken might be elevated to Cabinet rank, sources said, as could Ashwani Kumar, who currently holds charge as junior minister in three ministries. Another junior minister K Muniyappa may also be promoted, said the sources.
There are more promotions on the cards. Young ministers Sachin Pilot and Jyotiraditya Scindia, who have been junior ministers or ministers of state for some years now, are likely to get promoted to ministers with independent charge. D Purandeswari from Andhra Pradesh, who has been a minister of state in the HRD ministry for six years is also expected to get elevated to minister with independent charge. Similarly, MM Pallam Raju, junior minister for defence could get promoted. Mr Raju is also from Andhra Pradesh.
Prominent among new faces expected to be inducted are 47-year-old Congressman from Ludhiana, Manish Tewari, and Telugu superstar turned politician Chiranjeevi, rewarded for his help in ensuring the stability of the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh with the support of his 18 MLAs. Forty-year-old medical doctor Jyoti Mirdha is also expected to be inducted into the Manmohan Singh Council of Ministers.
A Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesperson has confirmed that the swearing-in ceremony of new ministers is scheduled for 11.30 am today.
Of the seven ministers who quit ahead of the reshuffle, Mr Krishna, 80, was the first one to resign saying he was stepping down because "it is time for youngsters to take over." Senior Congress leaders, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Mukul Wasnik and Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahay, resigned early on Saturday. Ms Soni said she had been asked to work for the party and added, "This will require full time work. It will be an honour." (Read: Will work to strengthen Congress, says Ambika Soni) Ministers of state Mahadev Khandela and Vincent Pala have resigned too.
Minister of state for Rural Development Agatha Sangma, whose father Purno Sangma quit the Nationalist Congress Party or the NCP a few months ago defying his party to contest the Presidential elections against the official UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee, too resigned today. Sharad Pawar's party has nominated veteran leader Tariq Anwar to replace the 32-year-old Agatha as an NCP minister.
There are six berths vacated by the Trinamool Congress, which walked out of the government after differences over its reforms agenda. Deepa Dasmunshi, wife of Gandhi family loyalist and former minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, could be inducted to represent West Bengal. Mr Dasmunshi has been in coma for the last few years. Other leaders from Bengal who are likely to be inducted on Sunday are Adheer Choudhury and H Khan Choudhury.
Two cabinet positions of the DMK are also vacant, after A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran quit when they were implicated in the 2G scam. DMK chief M Karunanidhi has so far refused to nominate anyone. Maharashtra leader Vilasrao Muttemwar might come in in place of Vilasrao Deshmukh, who died recently, sources said.
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