The Union council of ministers will be expanded on Tuesday to be followed by a reshuffle of portfolios even as minister of state for environment Babulal Marandi resigned tonight to make himself available as NDA`s candidate for the Jharkhand chief ministership. BJP`s firebrand leader Uma Bharati, who had resigned early this year from the ministry to concentrate on politics in Madhya Pradesh, is expected to be reinducted, BJP sources said.
Karia Munda, a tribal BJP MP from Jharkhand, is also likely to find a ministerial berth and given charge of rural development ministry from where M Venkaiah Naidu is expected to be shifted to surface transport ministry which fell vacant by the resignation of Rajnath Singh, now UP chief minister. Minister of state for law Arun Jaitley, holding independent charge, is likely to be elevated to cabinet rank and the portfolio of Sports Minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa is likely to be changed, the sources said.
President K R Narayanan, who is in Ujjain, is returning to the capital tomorrow afternoon. Marandi`s resignation has been forwarded to Narayanan for acceptance.
Munda was a cabinet minister in the 13-day old Vajpayee government in 1996. Bureau Report