Narendra Modi Narendra Modi

The formation of prime minister-designate Narendra Modi's council of ministers has been the subject of intense speculation with new lists of potential candidates and key players emerging almost every day.

So far the man at the centre of it all has given no indication of who will make it to his cabinet; BJP insiders say Modi may spring more than a few surprises when the names of ministers who will take oath with him on May 26 are finally revealed.

From all indications, Modi's council of ministers is expected to be compact and lean, with several ministries being either re-organised or merged to form new departments in order to ensure effective governance.

Dismissing most of the lists of ministers doing the rounds in New Delhi, BJP sources conceded that Modi's team might include several technocrats in key roles. Younger, first-time MPs too could be roped in as ministers of state to give the team a fresh look, they said.

Among the senior BJP leaders being tipped for key ministries are party president Rajnath Singh, Arun Shourie, Arun Jaitley, Nitin Gadkari, Sushma Swaraj, Venkaiah Naidu, Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Ananth Kumar.

Jagar Prakash Nadda, the little-known BJP general secretary, is being tipped for the post of party president in the event of Rajnath being given a key ministry, sources said. Nadda is considered close to Modi and has worked closely with the latter and his aide Amit Shah in the past.

Gadkari is being tipped for a post that is being described by some as that of an "infrastructure czar" as he is expected to oversee a ministry that combines the ministries of urban development and road transport and highways. On the other hand, three BJP leaders over the age of 75 - Murli Manohar Joshi, B.C. Khanduri and Shanta Kumar - are unlikely to be given important positions because of their advanced age, sources said.

Leaders of allies Telugu Desam Party, Shiv Sena and Lok Janshakti Party are also expected to be given ministries. Over the past few days, the BJP and its allies have held consultations on a formula to calculate the number of ministries to be allocated to its NDA partners. Sources said the number of ministerial slots for each ally would be linked to the number of its MPs. The sources further said several expert groups could also be formed that would report to key members of the council of ministers.

While some reports suggested that Modi's Cabinet may initially have only 20 members, the prime minister-designate has given no indication what he has in mind. He has even jokingly dismissed media reports about his Cabinet, saying every news channel and newspaper seemed to have its own list.

Sources said Modi has been keeping his cards close to his chest as he has not disclosed his thinking on the allocation of portfolios even to senior BJP leaders. There is also considerable speculation about appointments to key bureaucratic posts like National Security Adviser, Principal Secretary to PM and Cabinet Secretary.