Cabinet shuffle on the cards
Although a guessing game about proposed cabinet reshuffle continued within the Congress, the names of AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi, Dr Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari are doing the rounds for berths.
Aspirants in the Congress have been lobbying hard for the induction at a time when party managers are tight-lipped about the proposed exercise.
Some said it could be undertaken in the next three to four days, others said it could be either by the end of this month (before Sept. 30 or after the ‘pitru paksha’).
Union ministers Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mukul Wasnik have been handling organisational work being in-charge of different states as AICC general secretary. Union minister Jairam Ramesh is said be keen on working in the organisation.
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi is also using Union minister Vayalar Ravi in the organisation, especially in Andhra Pradesh.
If insiders are to be believed Mr Janardan Dwivedi will get HRD or power portfolio.
Maharashtra minister Narayan Rane has been lobbying hard to get the chief ministership.
If he succeeds in his mission, then chief minister Prathviraj Chavan could become the petroleum minister.
But Congress sources said Mr Rane’s elevation could lead to the realignment in Maharashtra ahead of the Lok Sabha and state Assembly polls. This is because he was never seen as a popular leader of the state when he was in the Shiv Sena and later in the Congress.
Maharashtra PCC chief Manikrao Thakre would be inducted in the state government and Amit Deshmukh, the son of the late leader Vilasrao Deshmukh, will join the government.
But well-placed sources made it clear that the party high command has not taken any decision on replacing Mr Chavan and Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan chief ministers.
The reshuffle exercise at the Centre will confine to the Congress but the entire exercise would hinge on Mamata Banerjee’s decision to withdraw her ministers from the Cabinet.
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