Manmohan to go for reshuffle after Sonia's return on June 17

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to go for minor changes in his Ministry this weekend, primarily to fill the vacancies caused by the death of Sunil Dutt and the resignation of Shibu Soren and to accommodate states which have no representation at present.

The changes are expected immediately after the return of Congress President Sonia Gandhi on June 17, political circles said.

Five states do not have representation in the one-year-old UPA government. They are Kerala, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. Of these, assembly elections are due in Kerala in May next year, along with Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

At least one Cabinet berth is expected to go to Kerala, where the Congress was washed out in the 14th Lok Sabha polls. The claimants from the state are former Chief Minister A.K. Antony and former state Home Minister Vyalar Ravi.

Although, Tamil Nadu is also headed for assembly polls, the reshuffle is not likely to have any impact on that state as it already has as many 12 Ministers in the Manmohan Singh government. This means that more than 30 per cent of the 39 MPs from the state have been accommodated in the Ministry, while under the new law the size of the Ministry cannot exceed 15 per cent of the strength of the Lok Sabha which has 543 elected MPs.

At present, the UPA government has 65 Ministers--27 of Cabinet rank, 10 Ministers of State with independent charge and 28 MoS-- and as such Dr Singh can have as many as 16 more Ministers.

However, the reshuffle-cum-expansion is expected to be limited to a number far below this, political sources said. Soren, who was a Cabinet Minister holding the Coal portfolio before his resignation to contest the assembly election in Jharkhand, would perhaps stage a comeback.

Barring Soren, the exercise is likely to be an all-Congress affair, the allies having been accommodated more or less adequately.

At present, Mani Shankar Aiyar is holding the portfolio of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Panchayati Raj in the rank of a Cabinet Minister, with no Minister of State to assist him. It is possible, he would be given two MoS -- one for Petroleum and Natural Gas and another for Panchayati Raj.

The claimants to ministerial berths from unrepresented states include Ambika Soni (Punjab), Ajit Jogi and Moti Lal Vora (Chhattisgarh) and Anand Sharma (Himachal Pradesh).

According to some Left party leaders, the Prime Minister could have chosen to go for the changes before the return of Ms Gandhi to send out a ''right signal'' and dispel the opposition charge that she was the ''super Prime Minister'' and Dr Singh was ''invisible Prime Minister.''

Dutt was a Cabinet Minister holding the portfolio of Sports and Youth Affairs before his death last month.