Singh holds late night talks with Sonia to finalise portfolios

The meeting ended at 2.00 am today to firm up council of ministers in the backdrop of some allies vouching for certain portfolios.

Ahead of the swearing-in of Congress-led coalition Government on Saturday, Prime Minister-designate Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi had a marathon six-hour long meeting late on Friday to finalise the Council of Ministers.

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The meeting, which began at 8.00 pm and ended at 2.00 am on Saturday, was the second in the day, with Singh earlier holding seven-hour long talks with Gandhi and other senior party leaders to firm up the Council of Ministers in the backdrop of some allies vouching for certain portfolios.

None of the leaders including Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ambika Soni and Ahmed Patel, spoke to waiting media after the meeting saying everything will be known on Saturday.

The new Council of Ministers will be sworn in today at 5.30 pm. But it was not immediately known how many ministers will be administered the oath of office and secrecy along with Singh.

This is the first time that Congress is sharing power at the Centre with allies and, therefore, the exercise is having its twists and turns with pulls and pressures from within the party and the partners.

There has been no firm word about participation of RJD in the Government till late in the night even though indications to that effect were given by party Chief Laloo Prasad Yadav.