New Delhi: As speculation continues to mount over who will find space in Narendra Modi’s Cabinet, some reports have suggested that the PM is likely to retain the old faces in his new Council of Ministers and induct some new names as a gift to the states where BJP has made an inroad.
1. While several names are being floated, Modi will personally call up the leaders who will be inducted in his ministry, Wednesday evening onwards.
2. With Arun Jaitley expressing his inability to be part of the government because of health reasons, all eyes will be on the PM’s choice for the all-powerful Finance portfolio.
3. BJP president Amit Shah’s name is doing the rounds as the next finance minister, even as some media channels reported this afternoon that he will continue to remain the BJP president.
4. States like Odisha, West Bengal and Telangana will find greater representation in Modi’s ministry given the party’s good show in these places. Elections in Bengal are due in two years and therefore, it would not come as a surprise if more than four names from the state are given ministerial berths.
5. BJP president met the PM on Tuesday evening to discuss the Cabinet formation. The meeting lasted for about five hours. Bihar Chief Miniser Nitish Kumar also met the BJP president on Wednesday morning, with some reports suggesting he submitted a list of names from JD-U for ministerial portfolios.
6. The oath-taking ceremony will take place on Thursday at 7 pm at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
7. The highlight of the function will be the presence of 52 family members of BJP workers killed in Bengal, allegedly by ruling TMC party cadres. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has decided not to attend the ceremony in protest.
