The Congress will seek at least five ministerial berths in Ms Mamata Banerjee’s Cabinet. This was disclosed by a WBPCC office-bearer although AICC general secretary and in-charge of Bengal Shakeel Ahmad said that the party had not yet decided whether it would join the government.
The WBPCC general secretary said the AICC general secretary and in-charge of West Bengal had already submitted his report to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
On Sunday, Mr Ahmad sought the individual views of all 42 MLAs and majority of them supported the idea of joining the government.
Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee renewed her invitation to the Congress to join her government during her meeting with Mrs Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday.
“In all likelihood, the party high command will give its consent,” he added.
The oldest MLA in the House and the seniormost Congress MLA, Mr Gyansingh Sohanpal, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader in the outgoing House Abu Hena, MLA from Santipur Ajoy De, Deba Prasad Roy from Alipurduar, Abu Naser Khan Chowdhury from Malda and Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee’s son Abhijit Mukherjee figure in the list of probable Congress ministers.
State Congress president Manas Bhunia may also get an important portfolio but then he will have to give up the party head post because of Congress organisation’s one-man-one-office rule.
Mr Ahmad and Mr Mukherjee will attend Ms Banerjee’s swearing-in ceremony on Friday. “There will be a CLP meeting on Friday morning at the Assembly where the formal decision to join the government will be taken,” the WBPCC general secretary added.
On Friday, only two Congress ministers are likely to be sworn in.