In an exercise ahead of possible reshuffles in the BJP as well as the party-led NDA ministry at the Centre, key appointments for various roles in the organisation and government may be made in the coming days, party sources said.On Wednesday, senior leaders of the BJP’s Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Assam units joined such appointment-related discussions at the party’s national headquarters in Delhi. Senior BJP leaders, including general secretary Vinod Tawde, were also present, underlining the party’s thrust on an internal overhaul under Nitin Nabin as its new national president. Sources said the leaders had, officially, visited the headquarters to submit reports of the state executives of their respective units.AdvertisementSeveral Rajya Sabha picks being identified for elevation are said to be a key focus of the exercise.According to BJP sources, a reshuffle in the Union Cabinet may take place after the ‘Adhik Maas’ period that ends on June 15, days after the NDA government completes two years of its third term in office.With Prime Minister Narendra Modi returning to the capital after his five-nation tour on May 20, the BJP leadership’s decisions on the fronts of the organisation and government are expected to pick up pace in the coming days. Modi is also scheduled to chair a rare meeting of the Council of Ministers this week, according to sources.AdvertisementIn the run-up to the Upper House elections’ notification, expected in June when the first set of vacancies will arise, the BJP is engaged in the process of restructuring its organisation, including the likely appointments of around half a dozen state presidents – including for Delhi, Haryana, Tripura, Punjab and Karnataka – and putting in place Nabin’s new national team.Various gubernatorial appointments and postings to commissions and boards are also said to be under consideration of the BJP leadership, sources added.In with the newA senior BJP leader said both organisational credentials and public appeal are likely to play a significant role in selecting the party’s Rajya Sabha candidates that may land some of them in the Union ministry too. PM Modi’s Cabinet comprises 30 ministers, 36 ministers of state (MoS), and 5 MoS with independent charges.“The names of several key NDA leaders with proven popularity among the people are figuring in internal party discussions regarding inclusion in the Union Cabinet through the Upper House. These include a popular BJP leader from Tamil Nadu, who could be elevated through Andhra Pradesh or Karnataka, former CMs of BJP and NDA-ruled states, as well as senior leaders currently serving in gubernatorial roles,” the BJP leader said.As per procedure, sources said state party units are deliberating on prospective candidates for the Rajya Sabha against vacancies that will come up in the coming months during this year.“The respective State Election Committees will forward them to the Central Election Committee for further consideration in time for the notification of elections to the Rajya Sabha, which is expected soon. Several criteria, especially caste and gender balance, are being considered,” a source said.A BJP leader stressed that the party’s Rajya Sabha picks for Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka would especially require the party to effect a delicate balancing act between its political interests in both states and those of its allies at the Centre. “A seat-sharing formula is being worked on to ensure a balance between the respective political ambitions of the BJP and Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party as well as the Pawan Kalyan-led JanaSena Party in Andhra Pradesh; similarly, this equation needs to be balanced with the Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka,” the leader said.State of play for Upper HouseWith the BJP’s current strength at 113 and the NDA at a consolidated tally of 148 in the Rajya Sabha, the BJP-led alliance is 15 short of the two-thirds majority in the 245-member Upper House required for significant legislative business such as constitution amendments.As many as 34 Rajya Sabha berths are scheduled to be vacated between June and November. The previous cycle of elections to the Upper House had seen former Bihar chief minister and Janata Dal (United) patriarch Nitish Kumar as well as Nitin Nabin being sworn in as its members in April.Of the 34 seats that will see vacancies this year, 11 belong to UP; four each to Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Gujarat; three each to Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan; and one each to Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh.you may likeAmong the 22 seats scheduled to see retirements in June, 12 are currently represented by the BJP. The sole seat that will see a vacancy in July in Mizoram is held by NDA constituent Mizo National Front. Of the 11 additional Rajya Sabha vacancies arising in November, 10 seats are held by the BJP.BJP leaders such as Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries Ravneet Singh Bittu, Janata Dal (Secular) chief and former PM H D Deve Gowda as well as Opposition MPs including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former Madhya Pradesh CM Digvijaya Singh are on the list of retirees in June.Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, former UP Deputy CM Dinesh Sharma, BJP national general secretary Arun Singh and Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Ram Gopal Yadav are scheduled to retire from the Upper House in November.