Amit Shah likely to be part of Modi Cabinet 2.0

Press Trust of India  |  New Delhi 

BJP and senior leaders Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal, and are set to be sworn in as Cabinet ministers along with on Thursday evening.

"Had a courtesy meeting with our mentor and gave my best wishes to him on his inclusion as a strong member of the Narendra Modi's council of ministers," he tweeted.

Shah was part of a meeting Modi held at his residence at 4.30 pm with the MPs selected for ministerial berths.

There have been indications that senior leader and may also join Modi's new cabinet.

Modi will be sworn in as for a second consecutive term at a glittering ceremony at 7 PM at the forecourt of the

Sources said Dharmendra Pradhan, Smriti Irani, Sadananda Gowda, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Giriraj Singh, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Thawarchand Gehlot, Dilip Ghosh, Jitendra Singh, and are also likely to be part of the of ministers.

The other names which are likely to get ministerial berths include Arjun Ram Meghawal, Krishanpal Gujjar, Niranjan Jyoti, Ramdas Athwale, and

Earlier in the morning, the prime minister held a final round of consultations with Shah to give shape to his council of ministers before sending the list to the

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

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

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

Three newly elected MPs from will be taking oath as members of of ministers.

Besides Gowda, Pralhad Joshi, a four-time from Dharwad and Suresh Angadi, four-time from Belgaum, are also expected to take oath.

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 the 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. 17:15 IST