Cold vibes from Cong, Ajit Singh drops demand for cabinet berth

Perturbed by the Congress for not finalising the electoral alliance in Uttar Pradesh yet, Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Ajit Singh is understood to have dropped his demand for two portfolios, as cabinet minister for himself and a minister of state post for his MP son Jayant Chaudhary.

The Congress conveyed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's views to the RJD chief that he was not ready to give a ministerial berth to the father-son duo. It is the PM's prerogative to decide who is inducted into ministry and hence the party has little say in the matter, Congress sources said.

Sources said Ajit Singh has reconciled to the demand to join hands with the Congress for now and not push for the ministerial berths.

The deal is to let the RLD contest 60 of the total 403 seats in the Assembly, including the Faizabad (Ayodhya) seat and four other constituencies outside his western UP bastion. Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, who recently kick started his UP campaign ahead of next year's polls, had personally pursued the alliance idea with the RJD, but did not follow it up after finding Ajit Singh too demanding.

Ajit Singh has decided to launch son Jayant in Uttar Pradesh as face of the party in the state and let him contest the upcoming assembly elections.