Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge stated that the party high command will decide on the ongoing speculation about a chief minister change in Karnataka. This comes amid intensified power tussle within the ruling party as the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term.
Ahead of Sunday's reshuffle of the Union Council of Ministers, three Cabinet ministers and a minister of state resigned on Saturday, saying they want to work for the party.
The names of Meenakshi Natarajan, considered close to party Vice President Rahul Gandhi, and Oscar Fernandes are being mentioned in Congress circles for a possible berth in the Union council of ministers.
Now a fresh list proposing the cabinet changes will be issued and the chief minister has informed Raj Bhavan to tentatively make arrangements for the swearing-in of new ministers on Wednesday.
Claiming that Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh did not get a free hand in effecting United Progressive Alliance II first ministerial reshuffle, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday said the exercise has "failed" to show the government's resolve to fight corruption.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is all set to carry a major reshuffle in his Cabinet that is scheduled to take place around 11:30 am on Sunday. The reshuffle is likely to see the inclusion of several young faces
'If the BJP seriously addresses employment, examination integrity and systemic corruption, they might salvage their position. Otherwise, they are heading toward serious trouble in 2027.'
Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra suggests political developments are underway in the ruling Congress party and expects them to culminate after the Bihar assembly polls, hinting at a possible change in Chief Minister.
Bharatiya Janata Party chief M Venkaiah Naidu and Union Finance Minister Jaswant Singh were also present at the prime minister's Race Course Road residence when the discussion took place.
The second round of reallocation today was carried out to pacify Madhuswamy, who was said to have been contemplating resigning as minister, after Republic Day celebrations on Tuesday, official sources said.
Ahead of the Cabinet expansion and reshuffle of the Union Council of Ministers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hosted a breakfast meet for the new faces to be inducted in his Cabinet.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel allocated portfolios following a major cabinet reshuffle, with Harsh Sanghavi becoming Deputy CM and receiving Home and Industries. New ministers, including Rivaba Jadeja, were also assigned responsibilities.
Ajay Maken on Saturday night resigned as a Union minister -- ahead of the reshuffle of the Council of Ministers and that of the All India Congress Committee -- expected next week.
Amid speculation of a reshuffle in the Union Council of Ministers, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday met President Pratibha Patil and discussed the upcoming budget session of Parliament. A Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesperson said the meeting lasted 45 minutes, during which the two leaders discussed the current economic situation and various other issues. The issues included price rise, internal security and the budget session.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Wednesday kept the hopes alive of many a ministerial aspirants by promising a "more expansive" exercise after the budget session of Parliament which concludes in May.
Atishi along with Saurabh Bharadwaj was inducted into the cabinet following the resignation of Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain after their arrest.
The reshuffle may take place before Modi departs for China to attend the BRICS summit.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who was less than well disposed towards India, was stripped of his portfolio as foreign minister in the reconstitution of the Pakistan federal cabinet following which he refused to take oath.
Hitting back, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar demanded proof of the allegations.
Besides the Union Cabinet, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh are giving final touches to major changes in the All India Congress Committee and Andhra Pradesh Congress unit. There is also the likelyhood of shuffling of state governors.
Four junior ministers - Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Sanjiv Kumar Balyan, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahendra Nath Pandey - have resigned ahead of the rejig.
Apart from Smriti, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Ananth Kumar took over as law and parliamentary affairs ministers respectively.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah equals Devaraj Urs' record as the longest-serving CM of the state, while expressing confidence about completing his full term, he stated that the Congress high command will have to decide on it.
Amidst alleged power struggles within the ruling Congress in Karnataka, AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala has called for discipline within the party, emphasizing that the party is paramount. This comes as the state's chief minister and deputy chief minister submitted a consolidated report on the performance of 31 ministers to Surjewala, fueling speculation about a potential cabinet reshuffle.
The power tussle within the ruling party has intensified, amid speculation about chief minister change in the state, after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, citing an alleged "power-sharing" agreement involving CM Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar in 2023.
Dr Singh may apprise the President of his intention to expand his ministry ahead of the Budget session, which is likely to start in the third week of February.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a meeting of the Union Council of Ministers on Monday amid a heightened buzz about the likelihood of a Cabinet reshuffle following a series of meetings of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's top brass.
The Union Council of Ministers will be expanded on Sunday with the possible induction of Jyotiraditya Scindia and Raghunath Jha even as Minister of State for Personnel Suresh Pachouri resigned from the government ahead of the exercise. Besides Scindia and Jha, both Lok Sabha members, names doing rounds for possible ministerial berths include M S Gill, Supriya Sule, V Hanumantha Rao, and V Narayanaswamy.
Yeddyurappa had on Tuesday sacked three of his Cabinet colleagues who defied his diktat and refused to resign ahead of the Cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday.
Sheela Bhatt says the only logical question to be asked after the listless Cabinet reshuffle is: Has Congress President Sonia Gandhi started losing her grip over the political situation?
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar wished Chief Minister Siddaramaiah 'all the best' after he said that he would complete a five year term in office. Shivakumar also commented on the ongoing cabinet reshuffle and MLAs meeting with leaders in Delhi.
Asserting that there are no differences between him and his deputy D K Shivakumar, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said that they both are running the government unitedly, and will continue to do so in the future too.
Amid a growing chorus in the party for his elevation, Tamil Nadu sports minister and son of Chief Minister M K Stalin, Udhayanidhi, was elevated as the deputy CM on Saturday with additional responsibility, in a cabinet reshuffle that saw the return of V Senthil Balaji to the council of ministers two days after securing bail in a money laundering case.
.jpg)
Congress on Sunday took potshots at Narendra Modi's ministry expansion saying the inclusion of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Giriraj Singh was a "crisp slap" by the prime minister to secularism.
Dharmendra Pradhan, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal have been elevated to Cabinet ministers.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara has hinted at his interest in becoming Chief Minister if there is a leadership change in the state. This comes amid demands for a Dalit CM and speculation about a power-sharing agreement between the current CM and Deputy CM.
Former Congress MP D K Suresh expresses his desire to see his brother and deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar become the Chief Minister of Karnataka, amidst speculation about a possible change in leadership.
As many as 43 leaders took oath on Wednesday in the first Union Cabinet reshuffle and expansion after Prime Minister Modi returned to power for a second term in May 2019.
Indian weightlifting once again revolved around the enduring brilliance of Mirabai Chanu, whose World Championships silver was the single biggest achievement for the sport in a year marked by doping concerns and senior-level stagnation.
