Discord over berths, cabinet expansion put off

New Delhi, May 25: What seemed to be a decisively victory has only brought roadblocks in the stage of cabinet formation for the UPA government. The cabinet expansion that was scheduled to happen on Tuesday, May 26 seems unlikely, due to last minute disagreements over berths, say media reports.

While Congress President Sonia Gandhi wants a mixture of all regions and castes in the new cabinet, there seems to be a tug of war among the Congress leaders for the key portfolios. The Congress leaders of states like Andhra Pradhesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh that contributed to the Congress victory; along with other senior leaders are expecting more seats.

Few Big names fighting for Cabinet berths are Himachal Pradesh CM Vir Bhadra Singh, former Maharashtra CM Vilasrao Deshmukh, Jammu Kashmir CM Farooq Abdullah and Karnataka leader of the Opposition Malikarjuna Kharge.

Other media reports suggest that it was Trinamool Congress' demand for an extra MoS berth that led to the deferral of second swearing in ceremony of the Manmohan Singh Cabinet.

OneIndia News