Kalyan reached here this evening by a regular Indian Airlines flight and would leave for Aligarh tomorrow morning. It would have been embarassing for Kalyan to be in Lucknow and boycott public functions being attended by the Prime Minister. Vajpayee too would have been embarassed by the volley of questions on such an eventuality during his press conference there, BJP sources claimed.

For the record Kalyan claimed it was an overdue visit to Aligarh to see his son Rajvir who had recently undergone a surgical operation.

But, he could not conceal his anguish against Vajpayee when in reply to a question of who would be next state BJP president, Kalyan quipped, ``Why ask me? The person (Prime Minister) who appointed a new Chief Minister would obviously appoint the next state president as well''.

Kalyan more or less avoided entering into any controversy. Asked on demand for `better portfolios' by BJP's allies in UP, the former chief minister said, ``it is the prerogative of the new chief minister to allot whatever portfolio he deems fit to his ministers''.

Vajpayee's first visit after being elected to Parliament from Lucknow was being considered important because of the recent political upheavel in Uttar Pradesh. The state's economy is in tatters, employees and teachers are up in arms, dissension among Kalyan's supporters is still smouldering and most importantly BJP's allies, the Jantantrik BSP and Loktantrik Congress, have threatened to quit the government if their portfolios were not changed by November 26.

Vajpayee will arrive at Amausi airport at 12 noon by an Indian Air force plane. He will unveil the statue of trade union leader late T N Vajpayee at Alambagh before leaving for Governor's House.

He will meet various delegations and would address mediapersons at Raj Bhavan at 6 pm before inaugurating the All-India Police Duty Meet at Police Lines. He will lay the foundation stone of eight power sub-stations at the historic Roomi Darwaza Ground in Chowk and address a public meeting before leaving for Delhi the same evening.