New Delhi, November 7
Amid hints of rebellion in the state leadership over Manohar Parrikar’s successor, the BJP Parliamentary Board is expected to meet in New Delhi tomorrow to choose the new Goa Chief Minister. Parrikar is all set to get a berth in the first expansion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Council of Ministers that will take place on Sunday.

Sources said 10-15 new faces, including those from allies such as the Shiv Sena and the TDP, are likely to be inducted. Though the names of several probables are doing the rounds, there is no official word on those who will finally make the cut.

However, Parrikar’s entry into the Council of Ministers is almost certain. He is expected to be made a Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh, said sources.

In Goa, Health Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and Speaker Rajendra Arlekar seem to be emerging as frontrunners for the top post. Deputy CM Francis D'Souza, however, has thrown his hat in the ring. Terming himself an “obvious choice”, D'Souza said: “I am a four-time MLA, three-time minister, an eligible candidate." The Deputy CM threatened to quit the party if his demand was not met. “If I'm not the CM, then I will think twice if I should be in the government,” he said. Sources say D'Souza has the backing of Catholic MLAs who want a Catholic CM for Goa.

“The final call will be taken by observers appointed by the highest decision-making body of the party,”said sources. The choice is between Parsekar and Arlekar- the two leaders with strong RSS backing. “The Parliamentary Board would be meeting in Delhi tomorrow morning. I will resign after the meeting and within two hours new Chief Minister would be sworn in,” Parrikar was quoted as saying after a meeting of party legislators. Modi is expected to do a fine balancing act while expanding his team.

The PM is likely to give representation to all regions and take care of caste factors. Vijay Sampla, a first-time MP from Hoshiarpur, who has a strong RSS background, may find a place in Team Modi to boost the party’s prospects in Punjab, where it may go it alone in the next Assembly polls. BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, first-time MP Jayant Sinha, Jat leader from Haryana Birender Singh are likely to be inducted. BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, first-time MP Jayant Sinha (son of former Union minister Yashwant Sinha) Jat leader from Haryana Birender Singh (to boost BJP prospects in Delhi), Bhumiar leaders from Bihar Giriraj Singh, Bhola Singh and Ramkripal Yadav are also likely to be inducted. From Rajasthan, names of Col Sonaram Chaudhary and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat are doing the rounds while from Maharashtra Hansraj Ahir appears to be the top choice.