Vajpayee began consultations with allies on proposed expansion by talking to Jayalalitha last night and is slated to talk to her again tonight. The BJP is keen that the expansion take place over this weekend so that former Delhi chief minister SS Verma can be accommodated well in advance of the Delhi elections.

The initial proposal was to induct 10 to 15 new ministers (one each from the Akali Dal, Samata Party, BJD and MDMK, two from the AIADMK and at least three from the BJP). But in case allies do not agree, one of the options now being considered is to induct Verma and two AIADMK MPs on the plea that the vacancies created by the resignation of two AIADMK ministers and Sushma Swaraj need to be filled. It may be pointed out that AIADMK ministers RK Kumarand S Muthaiah resigned months ago.

Another problem is that of portfolios. Swaraj is understood to have been promised (before she resigned from the Cabinet and took over as Delhi CM that her ministries -- Communications and Information and Broadcasting -- would be held in reserve for her in case the BJP failed to form a government in Delhi again.

If there is only a mini expansion, it is feared that allies would not take kindly to a ministry that is not in the BJP's share being given to Verma. After much discussion and bargaining, portfolio distribution has been carefully balanced between the BJP and its allies.

BJP vice president KL Sharma today denied that Verma had made his inclusion in the Union Cabinet a pre-condition for campaigning for the party. "We have no doubt that he will work for the party whether he is inducted or not," Sharma claimed at the party briefing. However, he added that Verma was likely to be inducted "soon".

Cabinet expansion was earlier scheduled to be done on October 10 butwas put off until after November 30 when the allies and the BJP's demands proved to be difficult to meet. However, the fear of a Jat backlash -- unaffordable when elections are round the corner -- due to the unceremonious removal of Verma led to a re-think.

Meanwhile, the PM's former political advisor Pramod Mahajan has not been included in the BJP's election management committee for the Assembly elections in four states (Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram), ostensibly because he is expected to be inducted into the Cabinet. The same reason was given earlier when he was excluded from the party's powerful central election committee.

BJP President Kushabhau Thakre has included the four election in-charges: Venkaiah Naidu (Delhi), KN Govindacharya (Rajasthan), Narendra Modi (MP) and Padmanaghacharya (Mizoram), besides general secretaries Sumitra Mahajan and SP Gautam, Jana Krishnamurthi, VP Goyal, JP Mathur and lawyer Arun Jaitley. Naidu has been made convenor of the committee.