Six Congress ministers at the Centre resigned on Sunday ahead of an expansion of the Union Council of Ministers which is likely to see induction of new faces like Jyotiraditya Scindia and Jitin Prasada of Congress and Raghunath Jha of RJD.
Those who quit the government are Ministers of State Suresh Pachouri (Personnel), Dasari Narayan Rao (Coal), MV Rajasekharan (Planning), T Subbarami Reddy (Mines), Akhilesh Das (Steel) and Manikrao Gavit (Home), it was officially announced.
The President has accepted their resignations with immediate effect. Pachouri, who is tipped to take over as chief of Congress in Madhya Pradesh ahead of assembly polls there later this year, and Rajasekharan resigned on the expiry of their terms in Rajya Sabha.
A reshuffle of portfolios is expected in which Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi could be given additional charge of Parliamentary Affairs, now held by Priyaranjan Dasmunsi, and Minister of State in the PMO Prithviraj Chavan is understood to be getting additional responsibility of Personnel, Public Grievances, Pension and Parliamentary Affairs departments.
Dasmunsi, who was recently appointed West Bengal Congress chief, is holding the portfolio of Information and Broadcasting. Among the names of Congress leaders doing the rounds for induction into the cabinet is that of Scindia, scion of the Gwalior royal family and son of late Madhavrao Scindia.
{{/usCountry}}Dasmunsi, who was recently appointed West Bengal Congress chief, is holding the portfolio of Information and Broadcasting. Among the names of Congress leaders doing the rounds for induction into the cabinet is that of Scindia, scion of the Gwalior royal family and son of late Madhavrao Scindia.
{{/usCountry}}Both Scindia and Prasada, who is son of late Congress leader Jitendra Prasada, are prominent faces of Congress' youth brigade.