New Delhi:
The two-hour meeting between Sonia Gandhi and the Prime Minister on Tuesday morning provided the final touch to the Cabinet reshuffle that will take place at 5 pm today.
Rashtrapati Bhawan is busy making preparations for the swearing-in of new ministers this evening. Three to four new young faces are likely to be inducted into the cabinet.
Major changes in portfolios are expected, say sources.The Budget Session of Parliament is likely to be a stormy one, with the Opposition taking on the government over corruption, and a faction within the Congress was keen to avoid a complete Cabinet face-lift before that.
The Congress' own Big 4 - Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister AK Antony, Home Minister P Chidambaram and Foreign Minister SM Krishna - are likely to hold onto their current portfolios. Union Minister of Steel Virbhadra Singh and Tribal Affairs Minister Kantilal Bhuria are expected to be dropped from the cabinet.
Sources tell NDTV that Law Minister Veerappa Moily, Road Transport and Highways Minister Kamal Nath and Minister of Rural Development CP Joshi may be shown the door.
Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid and NCP leader and Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel may get a full Cabinet rank, add sources.
There are some vacancies within the Cabinet - the position of Minister of State for External Affairs, for example, has not been filled since Shashi Tharoor resigned last year over a cricket controversy involving his now-wife, Sunanda Pushkar. As part of the PM's push for younger faces in the Cabinet, Jyotiraditya Scindia may take over where Mr Tharoor left off.
After DMK leader A Raja resigned in November as Telecom Minister over allegations of corruption in the 2G spectrum scam, Kapil Sibal was made Telecom Minister- he's expected to continue in that position, along with his original assignment as Minister for Human Resources Development. He also took on Science and Technology when Prithviraj Chavan was moved to Maharashtra as Chief Minister late last year. Sibal may now be relieved of that portfolio.
But balancing its allies will be tricky for the Congress. Earlier on Tuesday, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said, "We have no suggestions to make with regards to the Cabinet reshuffle." Mr Pawar also said that while the NCP wants to retain its three berths, his party hasn't asked for more.
Sources say while Mr Pawar will stay on as Agriculture Minister, his other portfolio as Food and Civil Supplies Minister will be passed on - something he has requested repeatedly.
Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) is also reported to have indicated that it would like another Cabinet position.
Two ministers whose fate seems uncertain are Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh - who has upset his colleagues through various decisions often interpreted as anti-development, and Sports Minister MS Gill who may have to pay for the massive controversy that surrounded the Commonwealth Games.