Who will be in, out of new govt?
Sushma may not take up any ministry Amethi victory to get Smriti plum post?
New Delhi, May 24: As the BJP swept to power with a spectacular performance for a second term, all eyes are now on government formation, amid speculation that several new faces including party president Amit Shah may be brought into the new cabinet.
The council of ministers led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi tendered their resignation which was accepted by President Ram Nath Kovind, paving way for formation of new government.
In first back-to-back majority in the Lok Sabha polls for a single party in over three decades, the Modi-led BJP won 303 seats out of 542 in the Lok Sabha polls, handing out a crushing defeat to the Congress and many other political opponents.
BJP sources indicated that the swearing-in ceremony of the prime minister and his council of ministers could take place on May 30. The newly-elected MPs of the BJP-led NDA will meet on Saturday to formally elect Mr Modi as their leader, setting in motion the process to form a new government.
Many BJP leaders are of the view that Mr Shah will join the Modi cabinet and is expected to be given one of the four key ministries — home, finance, external affairs and defence. With finance minister Arun Jaitley and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj having health issues, there have been talk of they not being part of the new government.
Mr Jaitley, a Rajya Sabha member, had unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha election from Amritsar in 2014, while Ms Swaraj, who had won from Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh, opted out of the electoral battle this time on health grounds. The two leaders have not commented on whether they would join the government.
In the run-up to the results, Mr Shah had also sidestepped queries on him joining the government, saying it is the prerogative of the party and the prime minister.
Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman is expected to continue with a key role in the new government. With Ms Smriti Irani handing a shock defeat to Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, it is expected that the party may reward her with an important responsibility.
A number of senior faces from the outgoing cabinet, including Mr Rajnath Singh, Mr Nitin Gadkari, Mr Ravi Shankar Prasad, Mr Piyush Goyal, Mr Narendra Singh Tomar and Mr Prakash Javadekar are set to figure in the new cabinet. Among allies, Shiv Sena and JD(U) are likely to be given cabinet berths as both parties have done exceedingly well, winning 18 and 16 respectively.
The party will reward new faces from states like West Bengal, Odisha and Telangana where it has made significant inroads. "A number of young faces are likely to be inducted into the council of ministers as the BJP leadership has been working to groom a second line of leadership," said a senior party leader.
A number of senior faces from the outgoing cabinet, including Mr Rajnath Singh, Mr Nitin Gadkari, Mr Ravi Shankar Prasad, Mr Piyush Goyal, Mr Narendra Singh Tomar and Mr Prakash Javadekar are set to figure in the new cabinet