Politics News: Congress struggles with Cabinet berths

NEW DELHI: A surge in Lok Sabha numbers has brought a problem of plenty for Congress , with party brass juggling names for the third consecutive day to finalize the list of Manmohan Singh’s ministry. The party has to accommodate states which it has swept by giving them proportionate numbers while it is also being forced to take token faces from states it has been swept out from. Meetings on Tuesday between PM Manmohan Singh and party chief Sonia Gandhi, followed by one at 10, Janpath, is said to have finalised the list, which would be given a final touch on Wednesday in a meeting between the PM and Sonia. The swearing-in is scheduled for Thursday. The unexpected delay in finalising the list is on account of the complicated task of balancing names with caste-regional considerations. While a jump in the number of MPs is forcing the list towards the upper permissible limit of 81 members, sources said the party is keen to keep a decent number vacant for a later-day expansion. Indications are that Uttar Pradesh may see a big contingent in the ministry, in view of the party’s eagerness to consolidate gains made by winning 21 seats. The party sees revival in UP-Bihar as critical if it is to return as the umbrella party of yore. Andhra Pradesh, which surpassed the doomsday predictions by returning 33 MPs, has placed a high demand too.It’s a tightrope walk in states Congress has swept. While Rajasthan MPs are a hopeful lot, the party has had to look at who besides C P Joshi, accommodated in the first list, could make the cut. Representation for Jat community may be the conundrum. If octogenarian Sisram Ola is dropped, the five-term Jhunjhunu MP’s replacement has to be from five first-timers, at best a choice for MoS. Ola was left out of 19 ministers sworn in with the PM. The party is toying with a Meena and a Gujjar leader for MoS. Choice of two Karnataka ex-CMs -- S M Krishna and Veerappa Moily -- has led to a lot of heartburn with senior leaders Dharam Singh and Mallikarjuna Kharge having won LS seats. While ex-CM Dharam Singh is eyeing a berth, Kharge, a dalit leader, is hoping for reward after having agreed to demit the leader of Opposition’s post in the state. It took a lot of prodding to convince Kharge for Lok Sabha plunge. Their seniority, however, seems to be the constraint in view of limited Cabinet or MoS (independent) posts. While there is jostling from Tamil Nadu for ministry, with Rajya Sabha MPs also having thrown their hat in the ring, Congress in Maharashtra is veering towards taking in one MP each from Marathwada, Vidarbha and Mumbai, besides Prithviraj Chavan. The state seems to be high on priority owing to polls inOctober. Gujarat, where Congress staved off a mauling predicted by pre-poll surveys, is likely to see a few in the list. The defeat of Shankarsinh Vaghela and Madhusudan Mistry has opened the doors for others. Bharatsinh Solanki is a strong contender. Uttarakhand, where Congress won all five seats, may be accommodated this time. In J&K, Congress has offered National Conference an MoS berth while talks are on over Farooq Abdullah’s inclusion. Saiffuddin Soz is a claimant from Congress. At the same time, the party is working out options in low-performance states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh. A leg-up for Anand Sharma as Cabinet minister has raised the enviable task of leaving out former CM Virbhadra Singh, the sole winner from the four-seat state. Jharkhand goes to polls in coming months and representation to Subodh Kant Sahay is seen by strategists as a must. Accommodation of Charan Das Mahant, sole winner from Chhattisgarh, is a question which may be clear by Wednesday.