An unscheduled meeting between Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Friday morning has once again fuelled speculation of a cabinet reshuffle in the Delhi government.
Dikshit, who had no appointment with UPA chairperson till Thursday, had to chair a meeting at Delhi Secretariat on Friday morning.
The chief minister not only met Gandhi, but is also known to have met her three ministers — Haroon Yusuf (power), Arvinder Singh (transport) and Ramakant Goswami (industry) separately.
While the body language of the three ministers did not reveal much but one of them said that whatever would happen it would be good for the party and government.
“Whatever the CM decides, whether to bring in new faces or reshuffle the cabinet portfolios, she will do in the best interest of the party and people. I have full faith in her ability and I am ready to serve the party at any position,” said one minister on cabinet changes.
According to a party insider, Delhi Assembly Speaker Yoganand Shastri, a Jat leader is a front runner for a cabinet berth. “Congress has done poorly in Jat-dominated areas of outer Delhi and there is an urgent need to rectify the situation. Shastri is our best bet and he is most likey to get in,” the party insider said.
However, there is no clarity on who could be dropped from the cabinet. “It could be anybody. But caste and religious equations will have to be kept in mind,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Congress high command is also mulling bringing changes in the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee.
Speculation that some fresh faces will be introduced in the party organisation to complement the efforts of the government is also doing the rounds.
“Everything will be done to combat the BJP. Nobody is above the party,” said a senior Congress MLA.
