The cabinet of the Awami League-led grand alliance government may be medium in size with around 35 members initially and is expected to be dominated by young lawmakers.
AL advisory council member HT Imam yesterday confirmed speculations that there will be technocrats among the cabinet members who will be given charge of 46 ministries and divisions.
AL chief Sheikh Hasina, who is going to be sworn in as the prime minister, her sister Sheikh Rehana and veteran party leader and the would-be president of the country, Zillur Rahman, were the only persons who knew about the new cabinet until late last night.
The AL leaders whose names have been discussed include Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Abdul Jalil, Matia Chowdhury, Air Vice Marshal (retd) AK Khandaker, Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, Abdul Hamid, Obaidul Quader, Syed Ashraful Islam, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Asaduzzaman Noor, Col (retd) Faruk Khan, advocate Abdul Mannan Khan, advocate Shahara Khatun, advocate Abdul Matin Khasru, Dr Abdur Razzak, Dr Hasan Mahmud, Dr Dipu Moni, Dr Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin, Syed Abul Hossain, Tanjim Ahmed Sohel Taj, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Dhirendra Debnath Shambhu, Ramesh Chandra Sen, Principal Matiur Rahman and barrister Fazle Noor Taposh.
Names of HT Imam, Mostafa Faruk Mohammad, Dr Moshiur Rahman, Dr Mohammad Farashuddin and barrister Shafiq Ahmed were also learnt to have been discussed as one or two technocrat ministers.
Sources also said the AL chief might pick Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal President Hasanul Haque Inu as cabinet colleagues.
Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad talked to Hasina over phone and sent her a list of seven party leaders for keeping them in the individual cabinet. The JP leaders are barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud, Kazi Zafar Ahmed, Rowshan Ershad, GM Quader, Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu, Ruhul Amin Hawlader and Golam Reza.
But sources said the AL chief might primarily consider only Anisul Islam and GM Quader as her cabinet colleagues.
The sources also said Jatiya Party and Awami League reached an agreement that Ershad would be made the deputy leader of the House if Zillur Rahman is elected the president of the country.