United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has told party managers that she was in favour of appointing only politicians as Cabinet ministers, since they were accountable to the people during elections, and preferred to keep “non-politicians” out.
This, in effect, minimises the chance of Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia or former Reserve Bank Governor C Rangarajan being appointed finance minister.
According to top sources in the party, “this narrows down the choice for finance ministry to Pranab Mukherjee, who may retain the portfolio, and P Chidambaram”.
Both Chidambaram, who headed finance before taking charge of home after the 26/11 terror attacks, and Mukherjee, who took over from him, are interested in heading the ministry.
Meanwhile, after holding separate meetings with some of the allies over sharing of ministerial berths, the Congress top brass held the first meeting of the UPA.
Most of the parties have offered Manmohan Singh unconditional support to form the next government.
Mamata Banerjee, whose Trinamool Congress won 19 seats, has sought at least two Cabinet portfolios from a choice of three — railways, rural development and information technology and telecommunications.
In a late development, top Congress managers conveyed to the supporters that in the wake of more parties offering unconditional support to the Congress-led government, a new formula to share ministerial berths was in the works, according to which the party would offer one Cabinet portfolio to a pre-poll ally for every 10 seats won by it.
Earlier, the party offered two ministries for every 13 seats held.
Besides, the Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK), with 18 MPs, has also demanded IT and telecommunications, a portfolio it held in the outgoing government.
The DMK patriarch and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Karunanidhi also met the Congress president and is learnt to have asked for seven Cabinet berths for his party.
According to DMK sources, Karunanidhi has recommended the name of Dayanidhi Maran, who had to quit mid-way during the outgoing UPA government, following a tussle within the DMK. Karunanidhi’s son Azhagiri and daughter Kanimozhi are also set to become ministers in the new UPA government.
Although Karunanidhi is keen to get a Cabinet seat for his loyal T R Baalu, Congress sources claim the prime minister was unimpressed by his performance in the last five years. Baalu was in charge of shipping, road transport and highways.
During Baalu’s tenure at least five chairmen of the National Highways Authority of India had to quit in quick succession, following reports of disagreements with the minister. Congress sources suggest the prime minister is also not happy with the progress of the National Highway network.
In today’s meeting, attended by DMK, Trinamool Congress, NCP, National Conference, PCK, Bodo People’s Front, Kerala Congress (Mani) and Muslim League, Manmohan Singh laid emphasis on strengthening the UPA’s flagship programmes and said internal security and maintaining communal harmony would be his government’s priorities.
