Likely: Jalan MP, Didi minister

Former RBI governor Bimal Jalan is likely to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha, while speculation over a return of Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee to the Cabinet has been revived. Top BJP leaders met at the residence of Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee here this evening to deliberate on a minor Cabinet expansion and nominations to the Rajya Sabha. As many as eight seats in the Upper House have fallen vacant. The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, Finance Minister Jaswant Singh and BJP president M. Venkaiah Naidu.

Sources said the Trinamool may get a second ministerial slot too at the level of a Minister of State. The choice is between Ajit Panja and Sudip Bandyopadhyay. The vacancy caused by the resignation of Ananth Kumar may be filled with the induction of a leader from Karnataka. The choice may fall on former Minister of State Dhananjay Kumar, who, of late, has been among the most aggressive lot on the treasury benches in the Lok Sabha.

The meeting considered the names of ISRO chairman K. Kasturi Rangan, filmstars Hema Malini and Vijayasanthi, former Punjab governor J.F.R. Jacob, journalists Ramoji Rao, T.V.R. Shenoy and Chandan Mitra and Tarun Vijay, and sports personnel Milkha Singh and Dara Singh for nomination to the Rajya Sabha. Sources said the name of Ramoji Rao had been mooted by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

The meeting remained inconclusive. The leaders may meet again tomorrow.