Congress Rajya Sabha member Mr Chiranjeevi is likely to be inducted into the Union Cabinet in the first or second week of April when the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh expands his ministry.

Reports from Delhi said the Prime Minister will induct two more ministers from the state apart from Chiranjeevi during the mini reshuffle of his cabinet.

It is not yet known whether Chiranjeevi will be inducted as a Cabinet Minister or as a minister of state with independent status. As of now, S. Jaipal Reddy is the only Cabinet Minister in the Union Cabinet from the state.

However, as Jaipal Reddy hails from Telangana area, the congress high command is likely to induct the actor-turned-politician as a Cabinet Minister to strike balance between the two regions in the state, according to unconfirmed reports.

Only Cabinet Ministers and Ministers of State with independent status would generally be able to attend Union Cabinet meetings. Ministers of State are never invited to the Union Cabinet meetings.

It might be recalled that Dasari Narayana Rao who worked in the Central Cabinet as a minister of state, never attended any Cabinet meeting during his term.

The two other ministers who are likely to be inducted into the Union Cabinet with Minister of State rank will be from the Telangana region, according to sources. (J)