GURGAON, May 18 — There is a move for Cabinet expansion in Haryana after the byelection in Rori Assembly scheduled for May 26.

Mr Abhay Singh, the younger son of the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, who is in the fray in Rori as a nominee of the ruling Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), is tipped to find place in the Council of Ministers in the proposed reshuffle in the Cabinet. The ruling INLD is sanguine of Mr Abhay Singh’s victory in Rori. The byelection is taking place as Mr Chautala has vacated the seat by retaining the Narwana seat — both seats were won by him in the last Assembly elections.

As the proposed expansion will be the first one, the idea has evinced keen interest in political circles.

Sources say that about a dozen more MLAs, including Mr Abhay Singh, will be inducted in the Council of Ministers. Some of the MLAs, who are likely to find berth, are reported to be disgruntled at their exclusion from the ministry.

The Chief Minister is said to be yet undecided on whether to give the rank of Deputy or state minister to Mr Abhay Singh. However, the view doing the rounds in the political circles is that Mr Abhay Singh will be attached to the executive and legislative functionings of the Chief Minister.

There are indications that even though none of the incumbent ministers will be dropped, at least three of them face the possibility of being further sidelined. While two of them are senior members of the INLD, one of them belonging to a mine mafia, is also a party member. Although the INLD circles are tightlipped for obvious reasons, reports have it that one of them was recently subjected to harsh treatment, unbecoming of a minister, at the hands of one of the sons of the Chief Minister. The fault of the minister was that he had gone to the family member of the Chief Minister relating to a work and, in the ensuing exchange of words, demanded that he should be treated with respect. Incidentally, this minister was also one of the aspirants for the post of Chief Minister after the fall of the Bansi Lal government.

According to the sources, Mr Chautala had been resisting pressure from INLD MLAs since the formation of his government after the last Assembly election for the expansion of the Cabinet. There is a growing resentment in a section of the INLD members at being deprived of berth in the Council of Ministers on account of the small Cabinet. Even earlier there was unhappiness in some quarters of the INLD on account of the party leadership preferring some of the deserters from the Haryana Vikas Party to long-standing workers of the Lok Dal for tickets in the last Assembly elections.