Speculation about a reshuffle in the Union Cabinet gained momentum on Tuesday with both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi meeting President Pranab Mukherjee during the day.
Sources said the reshuffle might take place as early as Friday, as Mukherjee will leave the next day for Mirati, his ancestral village in West Bengal, for the Durga Puja festivities.
The Congress-led UPA-II, which faces a relentless wave of corruption charges, feels a reshuffle might give the government and party a breather.
Party strategists also hope the reshuffle will also end the rising speculation about an imminent general election. The Opposition as well as some UPA allies like the DMK and NCP, as well as supporting parties like Samajwadis and BSP, have been hinting about the possibility of a mid-term poll. The PM met the President for an hour before he left on a day’s visit to Hyderabad, while Mrs Gandhi met Mr Mukherjee in the evening for 40 minutes.
Sources said AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi was unlikely to join the Cabinet as he is expected to assume larger responsibilities in party affairs.
Law minister Salman Khurshid, under fire of late is likely to remain in the Cabinet.