Cabinet reshuffle in the offing, hectic consultations on

New Delhi: Hectic consultations are on ahead of a possible reshuffle and expansion of the Union Council of Ministers, probably this week-end or early next week.

Amidst a variety of speculation, Urban Development Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad met Congress President Sonia Gandhi last evening. He later met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for nearly an hour, informed sources said.


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Though these meetings have been termed as routine, discussions were believed to have touched the impending reshuffle. Azad holds dual charge of Parliamentary Affairs Ministry and Urban Development.

The sources said that the ministerial reshuffle could trigger changes in the All India Congress Committee, where induction of fresh blood like Rahul Gandhi and Sachin Pilot was also being talked about.

The ministerial reshuffle could involve change of portfolios of some ministers holding crucial departments. Either A K Antony or Vayalar Ravi from Kerala and JMM supremo Shibu Soren are likely to be inducted into the 13-month old UPA Government.

The names of new faces including G K Vasan, Anand Sharma, Pawan Kumar Bansal, Chandra Sekar Sahu and M Ramadass from Pondicherry are also doing rounds for inclusion.