Governors' reshuffle likely

If not a Cabinet reshuffle, the UPA government seems set for a reshuffle of Governors at the very least.

According to top sources in the government, the Belgaum issue and the imminent Supreme Court judgement on the dissolution of the Bihar Assembly in February will be the catalysts for the reshuffle.

Sources said that the dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra over the border district of Belgaum has made former Karnataka Chief Minister and current Maharashtra governor S M Krishna's position untenable.

"There will be a serious conflict of interest at work here, and Krishna will have to be moved soon," said a senior minister in the government.

Secondly, if the Supreme Court passes a stricture against Bihar governor Buta Singh and the Central Government over its role in the dissolution of the Bihar Assembly in February, then he too may be moved from the state.

"The government will have to ask him to move, they may shift him to another state or he may be put to pasture depending on the judgement," added the minister.

The third reason for a gubernatorial reshuffle is the fact that the Karnataka governor's post is going to be vacant soon. Thus these changes may lead to a domino effect as far as the changes in governors are concerned. The Congress has a long list of loyal partymen who can be awarded a gubernatorial sinecure as a reward.

These include Congress treasurer Moti Lal Vohra and Uttaranchal chief minister N D Tiwari.There is also a possibility that Power Minister P M Sayyed, who has been suffering from ill health for some time may be sent as governor to one of the states.

"This may lead to a Cabinet reshuffle at last, since power is an important portfolio and cannot be handled in addition to anything else," said a hopeful senior Congress leader who had been "promised a berth" when the government was first formed but waited in vain for the phone to ring.

In fact, some fear that the Bihar judgement may be bad news for Home Minister Shivraj Patil who may also face the Court's stricture over the conduct of his ministry. "The government is in fact waiting for the Court's judgement to move on various scenarios," added a senior minister.