Ahead of Sunday's Union Cabinet revamping, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held last minute consultations with BJP president Amit Shah and senior ministerial colleagues here over dinner on Saturday night, as about a dozen serving and new faces are set to be administered the oath of office. Some incumbent Ministers are likely to be elevated to Cabinet rank while heavyweight portfolios may see a change and fresh ones from poll-bound States may join the Council of Ministers.
The BJP's Andhra Pradesh president and Visakhapatnam MP K Hari Babu is tipped to get a Cabinet berth. The BJP has only two Members of the lok Sabha from Andhra Pradesh — Hari Babu and Gokaraju Ganga Raju (Narsapuram) — but none of them is a Union Minister, whereas its ally — the TDP — is represented in the Union Cabinet by P Ashok Gajapati Raju and YS Chowdary.
Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat Shankarbhai N Vegad is also understood to have been sounded on his induction into the Union Ministry. The BJP's Uttar Pradesh MP from Baghpat and former Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh, BJP's RS member from UP Shiv Pratap Shukla and Uttara Kannada BJP MP Ananth Kumar Hegde are also to get a berth in the Modi Cabinet.
Former Home Secretary RK Singh, MP from Arah, Bihar, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, (lok Sabha member from Jodhpur), Veerendra Kumar (lok Sabha member from Tikamgarh, Madhya Pradesh) have also found their place in the list of probables. Former diplomat Hardeep Puri is also tipped for a spot in the third major reshuffle of the Union Council of Ministers since the NDA came to power in 2014.
A cloud of uncertainty, however, hangs over the participation of BJP allies like the JD(U) and Shiv Sena in the reshuffle and chances of the AIADMK joining the Government also appeared dim.
"There was no such talk of the JD(U) joining the Union Cabinet. No talks were held on the issue (between the BJP and JD(U)," Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, whose party JD(U) recently rejoined the NDA, said in Patna on Saturday.
BJP chief Amit Shah returned to the Capital on Saturday after attending a crucial coordination meeting with various RSS outfits in Vrindavan, and he and Modi were giving final touches to the changes.
There will be a new full-fledged Defence Minster and a new hand in the Railway Ministry in place of the incumbent Minister Suresh Prabhu who has already offered to quit after a spate of railway accidents and may be allocated a key portfolio. On Friday night, three top BJP leaders Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Rajnath Singh are understood to have deliberated on the possible allocation of defence portfolio at latter's residence.
lok Sabha member from Bihar Ashwini Choubey and Pravesh Verma, lok Sabha member from Delhi, late BJP leader Sahib Singh's son, who called on Shah on Saturday, are also seen as contenders for the ministerial berths.
Senior BJP leader from Rajasthan and Rajya Sabha member Om Mathur is also in the race for a ministerial berth.
BJP general secretary Bhupender Yadav (Rajya Sabha member), party's vice president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe (RS Maharashtra), Prahlad Patel (Madhya Pradesh), Suresh Angadi, Shobha Karandlaje, and Phralhad Joshi (all lok Sabha members from Karnataka), Himanta Biswa Sarma (BJP Assam leader), Anurag Thakur (lok Sabha member) and Maheish Girri (lok Sabha member, Delhi) are being talked about within the party as among the probable Ministers.
Power Minister Piyush Goyal, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha, seen among the "good performers" in the Government, may be given an elevation and so may be the case with Commerce Minister Nirmala Seetharaman.
Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gandkari, who discussed the reshuffle with the Prime Minister on Saturday evening, was reportedly at one time offered defence and the Railway portfolio. Modi is, however, said to be "very happy" with his performance at Surface Transport Minister, sources said.
Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti, who refused to comment on reports of her resignation on Friday, may not get a sack and could be adjusted in other Ministry.
The Cabinet reshaping -- the third in as many years -- has been due for about a year with many Ministers holding dual charge of some key Ministries. The return of the JD(U) to the NDA's fold and a similar entry of AIADMK have also qualified them for couple of berths in the Modi-Cabinet.
Even as Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that they were not intimated about the reshuffle, at least two members from the BJP's new partner -- Ram Chandra Prasad Singh and Santosh Kushwaha are tipped to be Ministers. BJP's another ally Shiv Sena, who seeks to increase its number in the Union Cabinet has also, like the JD(U), claimed that they have not been sounded on the Cabinet changes.
Internal troubles in the AIADMK, which has been hit by a rebellion led by TTV Dhinakaran, can prove to be a stumbling block in its joining the Government. AIADMK leader M Thambidurai, who met Shah on Friday, might be a likely representative from the party along with P Venugopal and V Maitreyan if it decides to join the Government.