Union Minister for Urban Housing and Poverty Alleviation Ajay Maken on Saturday resigned from the Cabinet. He has offered to work for the Congress party organisation. The resignation has come just before the Cabinet and organisational reshuffle likely next week.
The decision is significant in view of Assembly polls in Delhi in November this year and lok Sabha elections in 2014. By offering to work for the organisation, Maken has given the indication that he wants to be included in Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s young team which will lead the party in the elections.
The New Delhi MP is likely to be given greater responsibility in Delhi either as DPCC president or AICC general secretary, party sources said. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who has been in power for past 15 years and DPCC president JP Agarwal are at loggerheads. Rahul, who had recently held a meeting with Delhi Congress leaders had asked party leaders to work unitedly to bring the Congress back to power for the fourth time.
The organisational and Cabinet reshuffles both are expected early next week and there are reports that some other Ministers are also likely to be drafted for the party work.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to fill the vacancies created by resignation of PK Bansal and Ashwani Kumar.and five DMK Ministers during the reshuffle which will the last for the UPA-II Government. Ministers holding two portfolios could be divested of one. Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is also the general secretary of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, could be divested of the responsibilities of the states. Some other leaders may also see change in their departments and portfolios.