Modi to meet those selected for ministerial berths before swearing-in

Press Trust of India  |  New Delhi 

MPs selected for ministerial berths will meet at his residence at 4.30 pm on Thursday, shortly before the swearing-in ceremony, sources said.

Capping a landslide election victory, will take oath along with his new council of ministers at 7 pm.

As the party geared up for the celebrations, Shah's Akbar Road residence was decked up.

and Shah have held several rounds of discussions in the last two days ahead of government formation.

Other senior party leaders such as Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal, Singh Tomar, Prakash Javadekar, Ravi Shankar Prasad, and are also likely to join the second after being its members in its first avatar.

The others tipped to get a ministerial berth include Sadananda Gowda, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Giriraj Singh, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Thawarchand Gehlot, Dilip Ghosh, Jitendra Singh, Mansukh Mandaviya, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, and

Sushma Swaraj is also likely to be part of the government.

Among some of the new faces that are likely to be inducted include Prahlad Patel from Madhya Pradesh, Kailash Chowdhry from Rajasthan, from Telangana and from and Raosaheb Danve from

Among allies, of the LJP, of Shiv Sena, Harsimrat Kaur Badal of Akali Dal and Ramdas Athawale of RPI(A) are likely to take oath, official sources said.

The sources said 2.0 is likely to showcase the party's newfound strength in different regions.

BJP allies like Shiv Sena, JD(U), AIADMK, LJP, Akali Dal and Apna Dal are set to be represented in the government.

The has confirmed its leader Arvind Sawant, who defeated heavyweight Milind Deora from Mumbai, will be its nominee in the council of ministers.

The Apna Dal's Anupriya Patel is likely to be in the council of ministers.

Arun Jaitley's decision to opt out on health grounds has fuelled speculation about who will get his coveted portfolio. Goyal, who filled in for Jaitley and presented the populist pre-election budget, is being seen as a key contender. There is also speculation that BJP may join the government.

The BJP has refrained from making any official comment about the likely members of the government, with its leaders asserting that it is the prime minister's prerogative.

The swearing-in ceremony in the forecourt of the is expected to be grand affair with more than 6,000 guests, including leaders from the BIMSTEC countries, opposition leaders and Sonia Gandhi, chief ministers, corporate honchos and film stars set to be in attendance as administers the oath of office and secrecy to 68-year-old Modi and his ministerial colleagues.

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First Published: Thu, May 30 2019. 14:35 IST