New Delhi, October 16
There was fresh speculation today about an imminent Cabinet reshuffle following Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s separate meetings with President Pranab Mukherjee.

The Prime Minister met the President for nearly an hour this morning before leaving for Hyderabad for the international biodiversity conference. The Congress President called on Mukherjee this evening. There was no official word about what was discussed at the two meetings. AICC general secretry Rahul Gandhi has also sought an appointment with the President.

The possibility of a ministerial rejig is not being ruled out by UPA insiders who say it could happen on Friday as the President will be in his village in West Bengal from October 20 to 23 for the annual Durga Puja celebrations. This will be followed by the Dusshera and Diwali festivities and the Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat.

The government would prefer to have its new team in place before the winter session of Parliament opens at November-end when the ruling combine will face the wrath of an aggressive opposition whose numbers have swelled following the exit of the Trinamool Congress.

UPA sources said if the reshuffle does not take place now, it could be delayed till after Makar Sakranti on January 13 next year because of the intervening inauspicious period. The ministerial changes were to be undertaken last month but were put-off till mid-October as the details of the exercise could not be finalised before the onset of the shraadh period.

The reshuffle is long overdue as several important Cabinet portfolios are vacant and a number of ministers are holding additional charge. The changes have been necessitated after Pranab Mukehrjee’s appointment as President, the resignation of six Trinamool Congress ministers, the resignation of Virbhadra Singh and the death of Vilasrao Deshmukh.

Since this will be the last reshuffle before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the PM and Sonia Gandhi would like to present a “new-look” Cabinet to change the prevailing negative public perception about the UPA government.

Consequently, the reshuffle could entail the induction of young faces and a reallocation of portfolios.

Although Rahul Gandhi is unlikely to join the government, a few junior ministers like Jyoitraditya Scindia, Sachin Pilot and D Punrandeshwari could be elevated. Ministers of state Srikant Jena and Harish Rawat are also due for a promotion.

The new young faces which could be accommodated include Madhya Pradesh MP and Rahul Gandhi’s team member Meenakshi Natarajan. Since West Bengal’s representation in the Cabinet has been reduced after the departure of the Trinamool Congress, leaders from the state will have to be accommodated. Deepa Dasmunshi and Pradeep Bhattacharya are being mentioned as probable contenders.

From among the allies NCP leader Tariq Anwar is expected to find a place in the new set-up while the party’s junior minister Agatha Sangma may be on her way out.

The DMK, however, has decided not to reclaim the telecom and textiles ministries held by it before its ministers A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran were forced to quit. HRD Minister Kapil Sibal and Commerce Minister Anand Sharma are holding additional charge of these portfolios.