Narendra Modi waves to supporters at the Ahmedabad airport on May 22, 2014. (Photo: PTI)
The official list of Narendra Modi's council of ministers has been sent this morning to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Several BJP leaders have begun getting calls from the President's Office, fueling speculation that they could be part of the team that will take oath this evening with Narendra Modi when he is sworn in as Prime Minister.
Here are the latest updates
Mr Modi confirmed last evening that he will have a lean cabinet. Arun Jaitley is tipped to be Finance Minister, BJP president Rajnath Singh is expected to get the Home Ministry, Sushma Swaraj could get External Affairs and Mr Modi, said sources, could keep the Defence portfolio. (Modi Visits Rajghat, Calls on Vajpayee)
Among those who have reportedly received early calls from the Rashtrapati Bhavan are the BJP's articulate spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman, Ravi Shankar Prasad and General VK Singh, former Army Chief and now BJP MP from Ghaziabad. These leaders were among a group of leaders who had tea with Mr Modi earlier today at Gujarat Bhawan, where he has been camped in the capital. (Modi's Swearing-In: Who Will Attend, Who Will Give it a Miss)
BJP's allies in the National Democratic Alliance who may get Cabinet posts are Lok Janshakti Party leader Ramvilas Paswan, Shiv Sena leader Anant Geete, Telugu Desam Party's Ashok Gajapati Raju and Akali Dal's Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
Other ministers of Cabinet rank will include Nitin Gadkari in an important portfolio, possibly a combined Transport ministry that could even include the Railways, sources said. (Also Read: Rajinikanth to Skip Modi's Swearing-In Ceremony)
Smriti Irani, 38, who took on Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi in a spirited contest in Amethi in the general election, is tipped to be a Cabinet minister, as is prominent leader Dr Harsh Vardhan from Delhi.
Among others expected to get top ministries are Ravi Shankar Prasad, Ananth Kumar, Maneka Gandhi and Venkaiah Naidu. (Also Read: Nawaz Sharif's Visit Raises Diplomatic Stakes)
Sources said that the 63-year-old Mr Modi wants a younger government and is unlikely to have any minister older than 75, triggering more speculation about roles for the older powerhouses in the party. Party patriarch LK Advani had reportedly expressed a wish to be Lok Sabha speaker, but, sources said, eight-time BJP MP from Indore Sumitra Mahajan, 71, is the forerunner for that role. (First Official Statement Confirms Modi will have Smaller Cabinet)
Arun Shourie may be appointed as key advisor to the government while Mukul Rohatgi is likely to be appointed as the attorney general.
Mr Modi's office said in a statement that he will be guided by the principle of "minimum government and maximum governance." He is expected to merge and restructure several ministries.
The statement promised "organic ministries" and said, "The focus is on convergence in the activities of various Ministries where one cabinet Minister will be heading a cluster of Ministries who are working in complimentary sectors. Mr Modi is eventually aiming at Smart Governance where the top layers of Government will be downsized and there would be expansion at the grass root level (sic)."
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