New Delhi, Jan 29: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was today giving final touches for the major reshuffle for his Union council of ministers as high profile minister Pramod Mahajan resigned paving the way for his return to party work.

In the reshuffle of the council this evening, Mahajan, who holds the telecommunications portfolio, along with Union ministers Vasundhararaje Scindia and Uma Bharati, are likely to be dropped. Both Mahajan and Scindia tendered their resignation to Vajpayee. Vajpayee held informal consultations with Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani this morning on the issue of reshuffle.

BJP general secretaries Arun Jaitley and Rajnath Singh appear certain to stage a comeback. There will also be reallocation of portfolios which is likely to see Finance Minister Jaswant Singh taking additional charge of the key portfolio of disinvestment and Sushma Swaraj shifted from information and broadcasting to parliamentary affairs, now with Mahajan, while Ravi Shankar Prasad taking over I&B as minister of state with independent charge.

A sure reinduction appears to be that of C P Thakur who lost the heath portfolio to Shatrughan Sinha about whom there was speculation whether he would retain health. Yet another entrant seems to be former Gujarat chief minister Keshubhai Patel. Bharti, coal minister, appears set to be despatched to Madhya Pradesh to lead the BJP charge in the state where assembly polls are due later this year.

Bureau Report The reorganisation of the party is expected after the completion of the reshuffle of the Union council of ministers and the exercise in party reorganisation was also discussed at the three-hour meeting last night at Vajpayee`s residence, the sources said.

"The need for the reorganisation has become imperative in view of the coming assembly elections in about nine states during the course of the year. Besides, there is also need to prepare for the Lok Sabha polls where the party is planning to contest 300 seats," the sources said.

Bureau Report