Modi 3.0: Union council of ministers may reach 81, about 30 to take oath today. See details here
Narendra Modi to be sworn in as Prime Minister today with around 30 ministers expected to take oath. BJP likely to keep key ministries, while NDA allies to receive important portfolios. High security measures in place for the ceremony.
Coalition dynamics will be visible at today's swearing-in ceremony for Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi and his council of ministers. Close to 30 ministers from the likely full council of 78-81 ministers will take oath today, NDTV reported citing sources.
Despite originally aspiring a smaller council, very few ministers are expected to hold more than one portfolio, the report added.
Among those taking oath after Modi will include ministers with key portfolios such as coal, civil aviation, defence, external affairs, finance, home, and steel, NDTV reported. It added that the BJP is likely to keep a hold of the top four ministries — Defence, External Affairs, Finance and Home; and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies are likely to bag the other big posts.
The report added that Chandrababu Naidu's Telegu Desam Party (TDP) is likely to get four berths while Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) or JDU mat take two posts.
Sources also told news agency PTI that ministers who are taking oath today have been called for a meeting over tea with Modi at his residence in New Delhi at 11.30 am. A top BJP functionary has called the BJP MPs for the meeting without disclosing the purpose, but it is believed they are likely to be appointed as union ministers this evening, the sources added.
The outgoing Modi cabinet had 72 ministers with 13 from Uttar Pradesh. With the numbers of MPs from UP coming down drastically in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections, the representation of MPs from in Modi 3.0 cabinet is likley to go down. Instead, the the new cabinet is expected to have more ministers from Andhra Pradesh and Bihar.
As many as 19 ministers in the outgoing Modi 2.0 cabinet lost the elections. These include heavyweights like Smriti Irani.
Swearing-in Ceremony
Modi, 73, will take the oath as prime minister of India today at 7.15 pm at Rashtrapati Bhawan. He becomes the second person after former PM Jawaharlal Nehru to be prime minister for a third consecutive term. Nehru's Indian National Congress (INC or Congress) won the Lok Sabha elections in 1952 (independent India's first-ever), 1957 and 1962.
In attendance at the ceremony will be many national and international dignitaries, including top leaders from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. To this end, security across the capital has been beefed up and Rashtrapati Bhawan will have three-tier security till June 11. Further, the Delhi-NCT area has been declared a no-fly zone to prohibit the use of drones and similar devices.
Coalition Government as Allies Turn Kingmakers
BJP bagged 240 Lok Sabha seats in the recently concluded 2024 general elections, despite pollsters forecasting a clean sweep for the incumbent BJP government and declaring 300-400 seats for the party. It is now thus in a spot and need NDA alliance partners to reach the 272 majority mark to form the government for a third term.
Among the NDA, the TDP, JD(U), Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena, and Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), won 16, 12, 7 and 5 seats respectively. This made TDP's Naidu and JD(U)'s Kumar in particular "kingmakers".
With their influence on the future of the government set, allies are seeking lucrative ministerial posts marked by representation from their parties. Demands have reportedly been made, and today's ceremony will reveal who got what.
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