NEW DELHI, CHENNAI, Jan 9: Speculation about a Cabinet expansion next week mounted today with AIADMK chief Jayalalitha announcing that as per the Prime Minister's request, she had sent her list of nominees to him. Vajpayee has sought similar lists from the leaders of his other allied parties and once again urged Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress to join the Government.Jayalalitha had criticized the last expansion which saw senior BJP leaders, Jaswant Singh, Pramod Mahajan and Jagmohan, enter the Cabinet. This time, she seems to have responded favourably.``The Prime Minister spoke to me the day before yesterday (Thursday) seeking my suggestions for an imminent Cabinet expansion. I have sent my proposal to him,'' Jayalalitha said. Declining to give any details, she said: ``The Prime Minister will make the announcement at the appropriate time. I do not wish to reveal any details. It will not be appropriate on my part to say anything further.''PMO sources said that this time Vajpayee is determined toexpand his Cabinet as he feels that much of the restiveness in his party and within the coalition is due to inadequate participation in the Government. However, the problems which held up the expansion before the winter session remain: namely, the number of new ministers from each allied party and the portfolios.Vajpayee is believed to have conveyed to his partners as well as his own party that he does not want to induct more than 30 odd new ministers to keep the total strength of his cabinet within the limit of 74 set by Narasimha Rao. Since at least half of the inductees will have to be from the BJP to maintain the current ratio, the allies will have to be content with one or two berths each, depending on their strength in the Lok Sabha.The problems begin here. While in parties with well-defined hierarchies like the AIADMK, the decision of the leader is unchallenged, loosely knit parties like the Samata and the Biju Janata Dal face a real problem with numerous aspirants. Although Vajpayee has soundedout Samata leader Nitish Kumar and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik, neither has been able to finalise the names.Both parties are threatened by the possibility of a split if the wannabees are not accommodated and there are far too many of these. The BJP too is in knots over its list. Earlier in the week, Vajpayee met party president Kushabhau Thakre and Advani to finalise the nominees but the list remains incomplete. One major headache is tied to the party's plans for UP: whether or not to bring Kalyan to the Centre and whom to put in his place. A Cabinet expansion would be an ideal tool with which to settle political equations in UP but first the party must take a decision on the question of the state leadership.
