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Vajpayee to expand his Cabinet on Saturday

The Union Cabinet will be expanded tomorrow evening.

Official sources said the swearing-in of new ministers would take place at 6pm IST at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

It was, however, not immediately known how many ministers would be inducted. It is more or less certain that all the new ministers will be from the Bharatiya Janata Party, the major partner in the coalition.

Sources, however, said at least three ministers would be inducted into the Cabinet. They are Jaswant Singh, Pramod Mahajan, and Jagmohan, former governor of Jammu and Kashmir. There is also the possibility of Sushma Swaraj returning to the team.

The portfolios that are without ministers of Cabinet rank at the moment are external affairs, information and broadcasting, and communication.

Jaswant Singh, currently deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, is a confidant of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He was reportedly kept out of the finance ministry during the formation of the government only at the behest of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, compounded by his own defeat in the general election. Since then, he has virtually functioned as the PM's Man Friday, indulging in crucial discussions with the United States on nuclear non-proliferation.

Mahajan too was a shoo-in as minister, but for his defeat in the Lok Sabha election from a Bombay constituency. For a while he functioned as the prime minister's political secretary. Elevated to the Rajya Sabha since, he is a cinch for a Cabinet berth.

Swaraj's case, however, is a little piquant. Sent to New Delhi as chief minister to boost the BJP's chances in the assembly election, she was unable to stem the party's defeat, and is likely to get her original portfolio back. Since she was burdened with the communication portfolio after Buta Singh's exit from the Union Cabinet, it is likely that it may be handed over to a new minister.

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