Cabinet reshuffle likely this week

Mohsina kidwai, RK Dhawan may be inducted

Now that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is back from his foreign visit, the Congress headquarters are agog with speculation over a Cabinet reshuffle likely later this week.

After the appointment of Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Rahman Khan as the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha and the resignation of Coal Minister Shibu Soren from the council of ministers following charges against him, new ministers have to be appointed to these posts.

In addition, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K Chandrashekhar Rao who is currently minister without portfolio, has to be given some ministry.

As TRS leader A Narendra is minister of state for rural development, TRS activists are said to be pushing for the urban development portfolio for their leader.

Minister for Petroleum and Panchayati Raj Manishankar Aiyar could be divested of one of his charges. He has repeatedly announced that petroleum is only an "additional" charge for him.

But top government sources say Aiyar would like the panchayati raj ministry to get the importance that is due to it. Currently, it has just one secretary. Ideally Aiyar would like the rural development ministry to be merged with the panchayat raj ministry. However, this is unlikely to happen.

Minister for Chemicals Ramvilas Paswan had initially indicated that he was not happy with his ministry. But sources in government say his portfolio is unlikely to be touched in this reshuffle.

Some former Congress general secretaries who were dropped in the organisational reshuffle like Mohsina Kidwai and RK Dhawan, could be inducted into the council of ministers.

The induction of a woman Muslim leader like Kidwai is expected to send positive signals in Uttar Pradesh where the Congress is fighting to win a minorities slot along with the Samajwadi Party.

Dhawan is an important Punjabi Hindu leader in Delhi and is expected to become a counterpoise to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's efforts to emerge as an independent centre of power in Delhi.

The chances are that some changes could take place among the ministers from Maharashtra. The state is going for an Assembly election in September and the Congress representation in the council of ministers could be beefed up ahead of the election.

This Cabinet reshuffle will be Manmohan Singh's first. Some informal consultations with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi have reportedly been held. The reshuffle will be a test of Singh's political instincts.