politics News: PM,19 cabinet ministers to take oath in first lot

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with a 19-member team will be administered oath of office and secrecy by President Pratibha Patil at the Rashtrapati Bhawan this evening. Senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, A K Antony, P Chidambaram, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, former Chief Ministers S M Krishna, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and Veerappa Moily are among those who will be inducted in the Cabinet. Sushilkumar Shinde, S Jaipal Reddy, Kamal Nath, Vayalar Ravi, Meira Kumar, Murli Deora, Kapil Sibal, Ambika Soni, B K Handique, Anand Sharma and C P Joshi also figure in the list of ministers, Media Adviser to Prime Minister Deepak Sandhu said in a statement. "This will be followed in the next few days by an expansion of the Council of Ministers, including cabinet ministers, ministers of state with independent charge as well as other ministers of state," she said. She said this expansion would give due representation to the allies.