DMK president M Karunanidhi told reporters here that he had never asked for the finance portfolio. "There was already a finance minister who has also won the elections and DMK would not like to embarrass anyone," he said.

Murasoli Maran of the DMK is said to be getting petroleum while commerce is likely to go to Nitish Kumar. George Fernandes appears to be continuing in defence. Maran's party colleague TR Baalu's name also figures among new ministers, according to sources.

According to indications available from knowledgeable political sources late tonight, Ram Vilas Paswan may get rural development and Mamata Banerjee Railways. Ram Naik, who was minister of state for Railways, is said to be getting surface transport with cabinet status.

Noted Supreme Court advocate and party activist Arun Jaitley, according to top sources, is being given law ministry. A BJP notable who is also entering the union cabinet for the first time is former Delhi chief minister Sahib Singh Varma who is tipped for urban development ministry. Among other new faces big brother BJP is counting in the new ministry include Rita Verma, who narrowly missed becoming the Deputy speaker in the last Lok Sabha, Sunderlal Patwa, former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, Rajnath Singh, currently state BJP chief of UP and Dhananjay Kumar.

While most of the existing BJP ministers are likely to be retained, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is learnt to be thinking of utilising Sikander Bakht elsewhere. It is learnt he may be sent to Jammu and Kashmir as Governor.

Vajpayee was, however still grappling with the situation created by pulls and pressures by allies for key ministerial portfolios. Nitish may, however, have to go back to Bihar as chief minister as and when the Rabri Devi government is sacked. Assembly election in Bihar is, anyway, scheduled for early next year.

Railways would be to the liking of Mamata Banerjee as she has been pitching for the same for long while coal may go to her party colleague Ajit Panja. Coal was under Ajit Panja earlier too.

BJD, similarly, would be happy getting steel and mines and civil aviation though Navin Patnaik is known to have pitched for Railways too.

Sharad Yadav, in particular, has emerged a strong claimant for some key portfolio after he defeated Laloo Yadav from Madhepura in Bihar. He may be blessed with agriculture minstry, according to JD(U) sources.

The tension of ministry making was palpable on Tuesday when Prime Minister Vajpayee remained closetted with senior party colleagues for greater part of the day. Even late evening, he was said to be busy meeting stalwarts like Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and home minister LK Advani.

Understandably, while the names of the hopefuls were more or less agreed upon, it was the portfolio distribution which was causing the real problem. The BJP leadership, therefore, heaved a sigh of relief at the DMK gesture of leaving out finance in favour of Sinha on Tuesday.

Interestingly, Rashtrapati Bhawan is keeping its fingers crossed for tomorrow as regards the announcement of portfolios. Portfolios are normally given out in the Rashtrapati Bhavan communique sometime during the day after the ceremony is over. Officials fear it might be delayed if the wrangling continued.