In the first reshuffle after 20 months of UPA-2, he elevated three Ministers of State to the Cabinet, raising its strength to 35, and inducted three new ministers. The new inductees are Beni Prasad Verma, K C Venugopal, and Ashwani Kumar.
With an eye on Uttar Pradesh election next year, the Prime Minister brought in Beni Prasad Verma, Congress MP from eastern part of the State, and elevated Shriprakash Jaiswal and Salman Khurshid, also from the State currently ruled by Ms Mayawati of Bahujan Samaj Party.
Describing the reshuffle as 'minor', the Prime Minister said the larger exercise will be carried out after the Budget next month.
'This is a minor reshuffle. After the Budget session, we will do a more expansive exercise,' he told reporters after the swearing in of the Ministers.
The ruling Congress left its alliance partner DMK untouched ahead of elections in Tamil Nadu this year, by not inducting any replacement for A Raja who was forced to quit the Manmohan Singh government last year on the issue of 2G spectrum.
Similarly, Trinamool Congress was also left unruffled in view of election in West Bengal where the party has decided to take on the Left front government in partnership with Congress.
While taking away the portfolios of consumer affairs and food and public distribution from Sharad Pawar amid public outcry against the rising food inflation, his Nationalist Congress Party was compensated by elevating his close confidant Praful Patel to the Cabinet rank. However, his Civil Aviation portfolio has been given to Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi as an additional charge.
Pawar's consumer affairs and food and public distribution goes to K V Thomas of Congress.
The change today, however, did not touch the ministries of Finance, Home, External and Defence, even as portfolios of 14 Cabinet ministers and nine of Ministers of State and one MoS(Independent) were shuffled.
With the Talengana issue weighing heavy on the mind of the government and bickering in the party affairs in Andhra Pradesh, Dr Singh anointed Jaipal Reddy with the coveted Petroleum ministry by shifting incumbent Murli Deora to Corporate Affairs.
After having removed CWG-tainted Suresh Kalmadi from the office of secretary of the Congress party, the UPA government today also marginalised Sports Minister M S Gill by shifting him to the ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. His Sports and Youth Affairs portfolio went to young Ajay Maken with an Independent charge.
The rising star of UPA-2 Kapil Sibal continued to shine in the government by retaining both the prized portfolios of Human Resource Development and Communication.
Belying speculation, CP Joshi retained his Cabinet slot but was moved from rural development to Road Transport and Highways which was earlier with Kamal Nath. The latter has been shifted to Urban Development ministry.
Joshi's prized ministry has been given to former Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh with an additional charge of Panchayat Raj.
The only Cabinet minister from North East B K Handique has been divested of key portfolio of mines and left with only the charge of development of north-eastern region. Mines goes to Dinsha Patel as MoS(Independent)
