PM, Sonia call on President

October 16, 2012 11:32 pm | Updated October 18, 2016 03:14 pm IST - New Delhi:

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi called on President Pranab Mukherjee separately on Tuesday amidst fresh speculations of a Cabinet reshuffle.

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi has also sought an appointment with the President on Wednesday.

Dr. Singh met the President in the afternoon for over an hour, while the Congress chief met Mr. Mukherjee at 5 p.m.

While there was no official word from Rashtrapati Bhavan on what was discussed at the meetings, sources said the proposed Cabinet reshuffle and the current political situation came up.

As the President will be leaving in a few days for his ancestral village in West Bengal for Durga Puja celebrations, there is a window of opportunity later this week.

A reshuffle of the Council of Ministers is long overdue as several berths in the Cabinet remain vacant, following the resignation of representatives of the Trinamool Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham. But a series of political crises, starting with exit of the Trinamool from the government, has resulted in the postponement of a Cabinet reshuffle.

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