PM Modi to meet ministers selected for coveted portfolios at his residence

Ministers selected for office oath will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his home on Thursday at 4.30 a.m., shortly before the ceremony of swearing-in, sources said. Capping a landslide victory in the election, Modi and his new ministerial council will take oath at 7 p.m.

Earlier in the morning, before sending the list to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the prime minister held a final round of consultations with BJP president Amit Shah to shape his ministerial council. The Shah’s Akbar Road residence was decked up as the party set up for the celebrations. BJP Secretary General (organization) Ram Lal was one of those who met Shah at his home.

In the last two days before the formation of government, Modi and Shah have held several rounds of discussions. Shah, BJP’s 303-seat victory architect in the Lok Sabha, is believed to be among those who are going to join the Modi cabinet and are tipped to either get home or finance, sources said.

The Lok Janshakti Party has already passed a resolution recommending its president Ram Vilas Paswan as the party’s representative in the Modi government. The JD-U is likely to nominate either Ram Nath Thakur or Santosh Kushwaha, sources said.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s decision to opt out on health grounds has fuelled speculation about who will get his coveted portfolio. Railway Minister Goyal, who filled in for Jaitley and presented the populist pre-election budget, is being seen as a key contender.

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.