New Delhi: A reshuffle-cum-expansion of the Union Council of Ministers may be undertaken in the next fortnight.
Sources say that the rejig could happen between June 6 and June 12, which may be the last reshuffle in the UPA 2 with Lok Sabha elections less than a year away.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had on Friday indicated that a Cabinet reshuffle could be on the cards to fill up the vacancies.
“There are some vacancies. The issue of filling them up is being considered,” Singh told reporters on his way back from Japan and Thailand.
The Prime Minister was asked whether he was contemplating a Cabinet reshuffle in view of vacancies created by the resignations of PK Bansal and Ashwani Kumar.
Bansal quit as Railways Minister earlier this month in the wake of bribery scandal involving his nephew and a Railway Board member.
Kumar also resigned as Law Minister following controversy over vetting of a CBI probe report on coal block allocation scam.
The portfolio of Railways has been given to Road and Highways Minister CP Joshi as an additional charge while that of Law has gone to Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal as additional ministry.
“The party does not have to do fire-fighting for now.
The leadership is paying attention to pending issues, including the Food Security Bill and Telangana.
“There is a possibility that a cabinet expansion and reshuffle would take place before June 15 after discussions are completed,” a party leader said.
He said the proposed reshuffle was likely to be the last one before the Lok Sabha polls next year and that some ministers may be drafted for party work.
He said consultations were being held between the Prime Minister and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Party sources said an early reshuffle would give ministers time to face parliament on questions related to their ministries during the monsoon session.
With DMK and TMC withdrawing support from the UPA government within less than a year, a number of slots vacated by them are yet to filled up.
Five ministers of DMK had resigned on March 20 this year after which there has been no rejig in the Union Council of Ministers.
They were holding Minister of State position in finance, commerce and industry, health and family welfare and social justice.
The only Cabinet minister they had was MK Alagiri, who was in-charge of Chemical and Fertilisers.
Two Cabinet Ministers of DMK had resigned earlier – Dayanidhi Maran and A Raja, the latter in connection with the 2G scam.
The DMK had not nominated any other representative to fill these vacancies even when it continued to support the government then. Besides, there are a number of other ministers holding more than one portfolios.
They are likely to be asked to shed one of them.
A number of ministers are also likely to be asked to quit because the party is keen to draft them for organisational works ahead of the next Lok Sabha polls.
A reshuffle of the party organisation in the AICC, which is long overdue can also happen simultaneously or a little before or later.
The BJP has demanded that the monsoon session should be advanced to consider the Food Security Bill. (Agencies)