Manmohan Singh meets President Patil, cabinet reshuffle speculated

New Delhi, Jan 17 (ANI): The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, met President Pratibha Devisingh Patil on Monday evening amid speculations of cabinet reshuffling likely to take place later this week.

Today's meeting is described as a routine meeting, but there are indications that Dr. Singh may reshuffle his United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Ministers later this week.

According to reports, Congress President Sonia Gandhi has already held two rounds of consultations with Dr. Singh over the issue.

The reshuffle could see some Cabinet ministers going to the Congress to oversee party work, while others may see their portfolios change.

While the telecom portfolio is expected to remain with Congress in view of DMK's handling of the charge pushing the government towards a virtual crisis, it is not clear that Kapil Sibal would be divested of any portfolio. He has charge of HRD, telecom and science and technology.

Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jyotiraditya Scindia is tipped to be the Minister of State for External Affairs. The post was left vacant after Shashi Tharoor resigned in the wake of the Indian Premier League (IPL) controversy.

Sharad Pawar, who currently holds three portfolios, could be divested of Food and Public Distribution. (ANI)