Manohar Parrikar not in contention for cabinet berth: BJP

Panaji, May 20:

Chief Minister

is not in contention for a berth in prime minister designate Narendra Modi's cabinet, a state

official said on Tuesday.

"The chief minister is in New Delhi along with senior members of his party and alliance partners on a courtesy visit to meet Modi. The media reports (about Parrikar's role in the cabinet) are speculative," a senior party official said.

Though he has rejected news reports about him being the next central home minister, Parrikar left the question of his elevation to a cabinet berth open by saying that if Modi wants he would think about it.

A day after the stunning election results in which the Bharatiya Janata Party got an unprecedented, single-party majority in the Lok Sabha, Parrikar had said: "Selection of a cabinet minister is the prerogative of the prime minister."

BJP: Media reports about Parrikar are speculative

"If he (Modi) invites me to join the cabinet, then I will think about it," the Goa chief minister said. Parrikar added that he would also be happy to chip in with additional responsibility if required.

Several media reports have hinted that Parrikar, considered close to the Gujarat chief minister, would be home minister in Modi's dream cabinet. It was Parrikar who first set the ball rolling for Modi's prime ministerial journey by proposing his name during a crucial BJP national executive meeting in Goa last year.

After taking over as chief minister of Goa in 2012, Parrikar publicly announced that it would be his last stint as a legislator in the state, fuelling speculation that he was angling for a national role.

IANS