Rajnath terms reports of his going to Lucknow 'unnecessary and futile'

Apart from Singh, others being considered for the top post in Lucknow are Union Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha and BJP state unit chief Keshav Prasad Maurya. Until now, Sinha has denied any interest in the job, while Maurya is thought to be not only relatively inexperienced but may not be acceptable to all groups. Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu is the observer for Uttar Pradesh, and is trying to assess the mood of the 325 party legislators about their preference. Naidu held a long meeting with BJP chief Amit Shah on Tuesday. 

Whether Singh moves out to Lucknow or not, the Narendra Modi-led council of ministers is set for a major cabinet reshuffle after the end of the current Budget session of Parliament on April 12, confirmed senior government strategists on Wednesday.

Some of the minister holding independent charge, particularly those whose work has been appreciated by the PM and BJP chief, could be elevated as cabinet ministers. Currently, there are 13 ministers of state with independent charge. The list, among others, includes Piyush Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan, Nirmala Sitharaman, Anil Madhav Dave, Manoj Sinha and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), comprising the Defence, Home, External Affairs and Finance ministers, could also see changes. The PM needs to find a replacement for Manohar Parrikar at the Defence Ministry.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj isn't been keeping well, and could be given a profile that wouldn't require her to travel overseas as frequently. There will also be a vacancy at the Home Ministry if Singh was to move to Lucknow.

One, if not two, chief ministers of BJP ruled states in north India might be brought to Delhi. While Madhya Pradesh is unlikely to see a change, either Rajasthan or Chhattisgarh, or both, could see a change at the helm.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance will also need to decide upon its candidates for the presidential and vice presidential elections, which are due in July. The NDA is less than 20,000 electoral college votes short of the majority mark, and its presidential nominee is likely to see an easy victory with the help of any of the regional parties, particularly the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazghagam (AIADMK), a government strategist said.

* Vacancy at defence ministry

* Performing ministers of state with independent charge to be elevated to Cabinet rank

* BJP-ruled states like Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh could see a changes at the top

* NDA to decide its president and vice-president candidates

* Governors to key states like Tamil Nadu to be appointed