Gupta finalised the expansion of his 50-member ministry during his separate parleys with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Home Minister L K Advani and BJP chief Kushabhau Thakre.

The Chief Minister, who arrived here on Monday night, had told reporters that he would hold consultations with the BJP leadership before undertaking the expansion. Gupta, earlier in the day, met Advani and was likely to meet party president Khushabhau Thakre before returning to Lucknow. Before returning to Lucknow, he said that the size of his ministry would be around 90, almost the same as that of the Kalyan Singh Government.

Gupta said he might carry out certain "minor changes", dropping a couple of ministers and accommodating a few new faces to fill up the vacant slots. Asked if the portfoliostoo had been finalised during his talks with the Central party leadership, he said, "I have been given a free hand in this task." Gupta, who arrived here last night for consultations, held an hour-long meeting with Vajpayee at his residence.

After his meeting with the prime minister, the chief minister told reporters that there would not be any "substantial change" in the Ministry. "It will be more or less as before," he said, while indicating that there could be one or two new faces. Stating that he had nothing against Kalyan Singh or his supporters, Gupta said it was wrong to say that some ministers would be dropped just because they were close to the former chief minister.Gupta also stated that he did not intend to review transfers and appointments ordered by Singh before he resigned.

About the appointment of Kusum Rai, a close confidante of Singh, as chairperson of the State Women's Commission, Gupta parried the question, saying he was seized of the matter.

Gupta also met Finance Minister YashwantSinha and is understood to have discussed the State's economy and demanded additional allocation for Uttar Pradesh.

At the party's press briefing, BJP general secretary and in-charge of UP affairs, K N Govindacharya said the CM discussed the political situation in the State with the party's Central leaders.