New Delhi:
Sources in the government say the Prime Minister is expected to make changes to his Cabinet, possibly this week.
The controversy surrounding the Commonwealth Games could motivate part of the reshuffle. The Sports and Urban Development Ministers - MS Gill and Jaipal Reddy - may be affected by the allegations of corruption and inefficiency that the Games were suffused with.
The PM is likely to assess the performance of key ministers. Manmohan Singh reportedly wants to complete his reshuffle ahead of his departure for Japan this weekend. The next session of Parliament begins on November 6.
Sharad Pawar, who is the Agriculture Minister, reportedly wants to surrender the portfolio of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs. Pawar, who is also the President of the International Cricket Council (ICC), has in the past, spoken about wanting to reduce his workload.
Shashi Tharoor has yet to be replaced as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. He resigned in April after allegations that he had inappropriate links - largely through Sunanda Pushkar, who he married recently - to a consortium that bid for the Kochi IPL cricket team. Pushkar surrendered 70 crores of sweat equity because of the allegations.
Telecom Minister, A Raja whose role in the 2G scam has repeatedly been questioned, could also be affected by the reshuffle.