Pulls and pressures on govt formation continue

New Delhi, May 21 (PTI) Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh Thursday deferred a meeting with President Pratibha
Patil as pulls and pressures continued on government formation
with Trinamool Congress and DMK, two major pre-poll
constituents of the UPA, demanding plum portfolios and more
ministries.

With Singh set to be sworn in Friday for the second
term, Congress negotiators led by senior leader Pranab
Mukherjee are grappling with the issue.

A meeting slated Thursday morning between Singh and the
President on government formation was deferred apparently
because the list of the Council of Ministers was yet to be
finalised.

Indications are that Mukherjee is likely to get Finance
portfolio while P Chidambaram and A K Antony are expected to
retain Home and Defence respectively.

Among the probable names doing rounds for some of the
key ministries are Kapil Sibal for Human Resource Development
replacing Arjun Singh, who is likely to be accommodated in a
gubernatorial post.

Salman Khurshid is likely to get Minority Affairs
ministry, held by A R Antulay, who was defeated in the
elections.

A tussle is reportedly on wresting the Railway
Ministry, held by RJD chief Lalu Prasad who is unlikely to
find a berth in Manmohan Singh's second innings.

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee is eyeing the
Railway portfolio as also the DMK.

The name of Kamal Nath is being mentioned for the
External Affairs portfolio.

Reports had it that the DMK is seeking as many as nine
ministerial berths in the new Union Cabinet while Trinamool
Congress is insisting on getting one minister more than what
the DMK is given.

Hard bargaining for ministerial berths among the
constituents of the UPA continued amidst indications that
those who are not part of the pre-poll alliance may be kept
out of the new government to be formed on Friday.

DMK is said to be keen on five cabinet berths and four
ministers of state slots. It is said to be eyeing the Health,
Telecom, Power, Surface Transport and Railways ministries.

It wants ministries to be given for debutant MPs
Azhagiri and Kanimozhi, children of Karunanidhi, Dayanidhi
Maran and A Raja and also for new entrants T K Elangovan,
Helen Davidson and Jagatrakshakan, a third-term MP.

Besides Banerjee, probables names in Trinamool
Congress include Dinesh Trivedi, Sudip Bandhopadhyay, Sultan
Ahmed and Mukul Roy.

The names of Sushilkumar Shinde and V Kishore Chandra
Deo are doing the rounds for the post of the Speaker.

Names of some new entrants in the Lok Sabha like
Mallikarjun Kharge (Karnataka) and Manicka Tagore (Tamil Nadu)
are also doing the rounds for induction in the ministry.

Other Congress probables include those comprising the
'young brigade' of Milind Deora, Sachin Pilot, Naveen Jindal,
Jyotiraditya Scindia and Jitin Prasada.

UPA sources said the formula being mentioned for
allocation would be one Cabinet and one MoS for seven MPs. PTI