UnitedProgressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has told party managersthat she was in favour of appointing only politicians as Cabinet ministers,since they were accountable to the people during elections, and preferred tokeep “non-politicians” out.

This, in effect, minimises the chance of Planning Commission Deputy ChairmanMontek Singh Ahluwalia or former Reserve Bank Governor C Rangarajan beingappointed finance minister.

According to top sources in the party, “this narrows down the choice forfinance ministry to Pranab Mukherjee, who may retain the portfolio, and PChidambaram”.

Both Chidambaram, who headed finance before taking charge of home after the26/11 terror attacks, and Mukherjee, who took over from him, are interested inheading the ministry.

Meanwhile, after holding separate meetings with some of the allies over sharingof ministerial berths, the Congress top brass held the first meeting of theUPA. Most of the parties have offered Manmohan Singh unconditional support to formthe next government.

Mamata Banerjee, whose Trinamool Congress won 19 seats, has sought at least twoCabinet portfolios from a choice of three — railways, rural development andinformation technology and telecommunications.

Besides, the Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK), with 18 MPs, has also demandedIT and telecommunications, a portfolio it held in the outgoing government.

The DMK patriarch and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Karunanidhi also met theCongress president and is learnt to have asked for seven Cabinet berths for hisparty.

According to DMK sources, Karunanidhi has recommended the name of DayanidhiMaran, who had to quit mid-way during the outgoing UPA government, following atussle within the DMK. Karunanidhi’s son Azhagiri and daughter Kanimozhi arealso set to become ministers in the new UPA government.

Although Karunanidhi is keen to get a Cabinet seat for his loyal T R Baalu,Congress sources claim the prime minister was unimpressed by his performance inthe last five years. Baalu was in charge of shipping, road transport andhighways.