Rejig in union council of ministers?

New Delhi, Mar 23: After the debacle in recent assembly polls, Congress is contemplating major changes in the government in an apparent bid to prepare itself to face the next Lok Sabha polls.

A senior leader said the party leadership is planning several changes in the Union Council of Ministers but did not specify when the exercise could be carried out. A number of ministers from Uttar Pradesh had courted controversy during the Assembly elections. Congress President Sonia Gandhi has already ruled out change of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the wake of the electoral verdict.

Talking to reporters a day after the election results were declared on March 6, she had ascribed wrong selection of candidates, too many leaders and organisational weaknesses as among key factors that contributed to the party's poor show. Asked whether the party failed to fare well in U P because of lack of leadership, Gandhi had said "rather than lack of leaders, too many leaders that is our problem".

A number of states are going to assembly polls which include Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh this year and Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh next year. Lok Sabha polls are due in middle of 2014. Parliament will have a 3-day break after March 30. There is talk of some changes in the party structure also.

Party leaders are also underlining the need to strengthen the organization in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu which together account for almost half of the Lok Sabha seats. More faces from these states could find a place in the government as also in the party, the sources said.

PTI