PM, Sonia may finalise Cabinet changes on Friday

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi could finalise the changes in the Union Council of Ministers in a meeting on Friday. The two leaders are meeting for the Congress Core Group deliberations and could utilise the occasion for separate talks on the much-talked about reshuffle.

A substantive reshuffle of the Union Cabinet is likely in next few days which could see the induction of some new faces and the exit of a few ministers. The changes, expected to take place on Sunday, could also witness ministers holding more than one portfolio shed their extra responsibilities, according to political sources.

There has been speculation about a reshuffle in the Cabinet for quite some time now, especially after the exit of Trinamool Congress ministers both at the levels of Cabinet and Ministers of State levels. There have been berths vacated by DMK representatives A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran in the last two years after their names cropped in the 2G scam. However, DMK President M Karunanidhi had recently made clear that his party will not not like to reclaim their lost berths.

A substantive reshuffle of the Union Cabinet is likely in next few days which could see the induction of some new faces and the exit of a few ministers.

Today also Minister of State in the PMO V Narayanasamy met Karunanidhi at his residence in Chennai, his third in a month. There was, however, no official word on what transpired.

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