By IANS,
New Delhi : Two days before the new government is expected to be sworn in, allies of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) met Wednesday to discuss details of government formation and the distribution of cabinet berths.
The meeting at Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s 10 Janpath residence was attended by the entire galaxy of UPA leaders, who have bagged 263 seats in the parliamentary elections.
Amongst those attending from the Congress were Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as well as senior party leaders Pranab Mukherjee, P. Chidambaram, A.K. Antony and general secretary Rahul Gandhi.
The other members of the Congress-led grouping were there in full strength too – Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, DMK’s M. Karunanidhi with grandnephew Dayanidhi Maran, Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel and National Conference’s Farooq Abdullah among others.
“We have given unconditional support. The National Conference is an ally of the UPA and hopes to remain an ally of the UPA,” Abdullah told a television channel.
Rebutting reports that his party was demanding ministerial berths, he said they were the designs of “vested interests…to tarnish the image of the National Conference”.