Sibal, Moily: Waiting game

New Delhi, May 24: Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi held a meeting this evening at the Prime Minister’s Race Course Road residence to discuss the ministry expansion lined up for this week.

Kapil Sibal, one of the 19 cabinet ministers who took oath on Friday along with the Prime Minister, said at a felicitation that “60 more ministers are expected to be sworn in before the Parliament session starting from June 1”.

Sibal is among the 13 ministers whose portfolio is yet to be announced.

In line with a plan to keep as many infrastructure ministries as possible with the Congress, M. Veerappa Moily could get surface transport, highways and shipping; Sibal is tipped to get human resource development; C.P. Joshi, a new face, could be given rural development; Ghulam Nabi Azad is being considered for parliamentary affairs, which he has held before, and steel; B.K. Handique could get heavy industries; Kamal Nath is expected to retain commerce and Jaipal Reddy urban development; Anand Sharma, who had held independent charge of information and broadcasting as junior minister after Priya Ranjan Das Munshi fell ill, could keep the portfolio; Ambika Soni could either get health and family welfare or retain tourism and culture; and Meira Kumar is expected to return to social justice and environment.

Sources said that from the Congress, only ministers of state would take oath in the next round of swearing-in, which could be held on Tuesday if a deal is worked out with the DMK by then.

Several faces from Uttar Pradesh, where the Congress performed unexpectedly well, are likely to be inducted — Jitin Prasada, Salman Khurshid, Sriprakash Jaiswal and Ratna Singh or Sanjay Singh.

Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sachin Pilot, Jairam Ramesh, Ajay Maken, Subodh Kant Sahay, D. Purandareswari, Mukul Wasnik, Vilas Muttenwar and Bharatsinh Solanki are the others expected to be sworn in.

NCP leader Sharad Pawar has indicated that from his party, Praful Patel and Agatha Sangma, the daughter of P.A. Sangma, will be taken in. Patel is expected to get back the civil aviation portfolio.