New Delhi: The stage is set for Sunday’s much-anticipated cabinet reshuffle with five ministers stepping down, including S.M. Krishna and Ambika Soni, to make way for newer, and possibly, younger faces.
The swearing in of the new ministers will take place in the morning. A Rashtrapati Bhavan official told IANS “It will be held at 11.30 a.m.”
Ahead of the reshuffle, Krishna quit as external affairs minister, while Ambika Soni stepped down as information and broadcasting minister. Subodh Kant Sahai resigned as tourism minister and Mukul Wasnik as Social Justice and Empowerment minister.
According to government sources, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Mahadev Khandela also resigned Saturday.
Ambika Soni, Sahai and Wasnik met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday morning.
Soni confirmed her resignation to IANS. Sahai’s resignation was confirmed by a close aide. The leaders are said to have stepped down inorder to stengthen the party before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Sahai’s close aide told IANS that the former minister will now focus on party work.
“He will be taking up a more active role in the party organisation,” the aide said.
Wasnik, meanwhile, told reporters Saturday that he had submitted his resignation Friday evening.
“I have already submitted my resignation to the prime minister on Friday evening,” Wasnik said, after meeting Manmohan Singh Saturday.
Wasnik told reporters that he is keen to work to strengthen the party organization ahead of the 2014 general elections. “I have been working for the organization for the last several years and I would like to continue to do so,” he told reporters.
Sahai too said he is keen to work for the party. “It’s a great honour to work for the party.” (IANS)