Lucknow, April 13 -- Amid a renewed buzz about an expansion of the state council of ministers and organisational reshuffle of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, the party's national general secretary Vinod Tawde on Sunday held closed-door meetings at the party headquarters in the state capital, first with the party's state chief Pankaj Chaudhary and state general secretary (organisation) Dharampal Singh and then separately with deputy CM Brajesh Pathak and former state chiefs Bhupendra Chaudhary, Surya Pratap Shahi and Ramapati Ram Tripathi. Tawde, who arrived in Lucknow for a two-day visit, will meet chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday after he returns to the state capital from West Bengal where campaigning is on for the assembly polls. As deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya is in Agra, Tawde will also meet him on Monday. The Uttar Pradesh assembly elections are due early next year. The state BJP office in Hazratganj became a hub of activity as party office bearers and other leaders reached it after hearing about Tawde's arrival. Tawde's meeting with Pankaj Chaudhary and Dharampal Singh lasted several hours. Thereafter, he held separate meetings with Pathak, Bhupendra Chaudhary, Shahi and Tripathi. "Central leader of the BJP Vinod Tawde met state president Pankaj Chaudhary and state general secretary (Organisation)Dharampal SIngh. It is a routine meeting in the BJP," said Hero Bajpai, the BJP state spokesperson. According to senior party leaders, discussions revolved around the expansion of the state cabinet and changes in the state organisation of the party. "As far as the cabinet expansion is concerned, the list of contenders is long but former state president Bhupendra Chaudhary becoming a minister is considered certain. Two faces from the organisation could also be sent to the government," said a senior BJP leader. Besides this, a former minister is staking a strong claim. Reports say his strained equations with Delhi have also been largely sorted out. People familiar with the matter said there is not much possibility of a major reshuffle. Portfolios of some ministers could be changed, he added. The last expansion took place on March 5, 2024. Two ministerial posts fell vacant after cabinet minister Jitin Prasada and minister of state Anup Pradhan Valmiki became MPs. Apart from this, posts in about three dozen commissions, corporations, and boards are lying vacant. 'Six ministerial posts vacant' Based on the number of MLAs, the state council of ministers can have a total of 60 ministers, including the chief minister and two deputy chief ministers. The council of ministers currently has 54 members - 21 cabinet ministers, 14 ministers of state (Independent charge) and 19 ministers of state. Six posts are still vacant in CM Yogi Adityanath's team. While filling vacants slots in the cabinet and commissions, the party will balance social as well as regional equations. Since Eastern Uttar Pradesh has a heavier weight in Team Yogi at present, the representation of western UP could be increased. The chief minister, a deputy CM and the state president are currently from eastern Uttar Pradesh. If the expansion happens, this will be the second phase of Yogi 2.0. Many names are being discussed regarding both cabinet expansion and organisational reshuffle. Sources say rounds of internal meetings are ongoing amid speculation about possible changes. The final decision will be taken only after approval from the BJP central leadership. As the party high command is busy with the West Bengal election campaign, the final approval on decisions related to UP may take some time....