Will Ramesh or Sibal make way for Rahul in cabinet reshuffle?

With an cabinet reshuffle expected to take place on 28 October, speculation is rife that Rahul Gandhi may find himself in a ministerial post, with one report suggesting that in keeping with his past campaigns in rural areas, he could take over as Minister for Rural Development or Human Resources Development.

While Jairam Ramesh is the Minister for Rural Development presently, Kapil Sibal holds additional charge of the Human Resources Development ministry in addition to the telecom portfolio.

However, few seem to be certain whether the Congress general secretary, whose presence in the Cabinet has been sought by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh multiple times in the past, will actually agree to take up a ministerial post.

When asked about the likelihood of Gandhi taking on a ministerial post, Congress party spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit maintained a secretive attitude that has been maintained throughout and said, “The party and Rahul will decide.”

The Economic Times quoted an unnamed senior Congress leader saying that if Gandhi did accede to becoming a minister, it was likely that it would be to replace either Ramesh or Sibal from their post.

The report also said many ‘young’ faces of the Congress could be elevated to ministerial posts with the main beneficiaries expected to be Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sachin Pilot and Manish Tiwari. Others who could benefit include leaders from West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh like Renuka Chaudhari, actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi, Deepa Dasmunshi and Adhir Chaudhari.

With the exit of the Trinamool Congress, six ministerial berths had become vacant and the death of Vilasrao Deshmukh opened up another ministerial post. However, with allies like DMK unwilling to accept the cabinet berths it is expected that the Congress will fill up the posts ahead of elections in multiple states.