Should Manmohan Singh be re- elected as PM or someone else?
Amid jockeying for ministerial positions from
partners of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), the decks were Wednesday cleared
for Manmohan Singh's second consecutive term as prime minister with President
Pratibha Patil formally inviting him to head the next government.
Armed with the support of 322 MPs, including the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi met the president at Rashtrapati Bhavan Wednesday evening to stake claim to form government.
The council of ministers is likely to be dominated by the Congress, that is expected to keep the key cabinet portfolios, after the party's election election sweep. The outgoing council of ministers had 78 members comprising 30 cabinet ministers, eight ministers of state with independent charge and 40 ministers of state or junior ministers.
Sonia Gandhi, who in the morning was re-elected as chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), said she handed over a letter to the president "stating that the leader of the parliamentary party to head the government is Dr Manmohan Singh".
It is learnt that the railway portfolio is being sought both by the DMK and the Trinamool Congress, whose chief Mamata Banerjee has held it earlier.
The core group of the Congress is expected to firm up the composition of the council of ministers in the next two days, he said. Several senior ministers in the earlier dispensation, like Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Defence Minister A.K. Antony, are expected to continue in their ministries.
All the UPA partners had met at Sonia Gandhi's 10 Janpath residence in the morning to discuss details of government formation and endorse her as UPA chairperson.
The other members of the Congress-led grouping there in full strength included Karunanidhi with grandnephew Dayanidhi Maran, Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel and National Conference's Farooq Abdullah. Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh, who switched over to UPA after the elections.
"We discussed about state and national matters. I said there should be a common minimum agenda and committees should be formed so that the concerns of all parties are addressed. This will help in good governance," said Banerjee, who with 19 seats is the UPA's largest ally.
Armed with the support of 322 MPs, including the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi met the president at Rashtrapati Bhavan Wednesday evening to stake claim to form government.
The council of ministers is likely to be dominated by the Congress, that is expected to keep the key cabinet portfolios, after the party's election election sweep. The outgoing council of ministers had 78 members comprising 30 cabinet ministers, eight ministers of state with independent charge and 40 ministers of state or junior ministers.
Sonia Gandhi, who in the morning was re-elected as chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), said she handed over a letter to the president "stating that the leader of the parliamentary party to head the government is Dr Manmohan Singh".
It is learnt that the railway portfolio is being sought both by the DMK and the Trinamool Congress, whose chief Mamata Banerjee has held it earlier.
The core group of the Congress is expected to firm up the composition of the council of ministers in the next two days, he said. Several senior ministers in the earlier dispensation, like Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Defence Minister A.K. Antony, are expected to continue in their ministries.
All the UPA partners had met at Sonia Gandhi's 10 Janpath residence in the morning to discuss details of government formation and endorse her as UPA chairperson.
The other members of the Congress-led grouping there in full strength included Karunanidhi with grandnephew Dayanidhi Maran, Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel and National Conference's Farooq Abdullah. Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh, who switched over to UPA after the elections.
"We discussed about state and national matters. I said there should be a common minimum agenda and committees should be formed so that the concerns of all parties are addressed. This will help in good governance," said Banerjee, who with 19 seats is the UPA's largest ally.
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