Pawar meets PM ahead of cabinet expansion

New Delhi, May 26 :NCP chief Sharad Pawar tonight met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ahead of the expansion of the union council of ministers on Thursday.
Pawar's meeting with the PM at the latter's official residence lasted for around fifteen minutes and came soon after Congress President Sonia Gandhi held an over three-hour meeting with Singh over ministerial council expansion.

Congress sources said finishing touches are being given to the list of ministers to be sworn in on Thursday with "50 per cent" of the names having been finalised at a meeting of the Congress Core Committee presided by party President Sonia Gandhi this morning.

Ending the suspense on ministry-making, Rashtrapati Bhavan announced today that the second round of the swearing in of ministers will take place at 1130 hours on Thursday.

The expansion exercise is expected to involve a dozen cabinet ministers, around seven ministers of state with independent charge and 30 MoS. PTI