Cabinet reshuffle in Haryana soon

The three-year-old Bhupinder Singh Hooda government is likely to see Cabinet reshuffle next month after the Assembly elections in Karnataka. Sources say the aim of the exercise is to make the state Government more effective and send a positive signal with the by-elections and Lok Sabha polls round the corner. The Congress high command has reportedly asked the state Government to review the performance of its ministers and prepare a report card accordingly. Besides individual performances, the review will also be based on their popularity among the masses and on whether they are beneficial or detrimental to the party and the state. Sources say some ministers have been marked for under-performance. At present, the state has nine ministers of Cabinet rank and three ministers of state. One ministerial seat is lying vacant. The state Cabinet can have 14 ministers, including the CM. Hooda may induct former minister and close friend Venod Sharma, who had resigned two years ago in the wake of the controversy surrounding his son, Manu Sharma.