Stage set, PM to send Council list before ceremony; talks continue on ally portfolios in Council of Ministers

PRIME Minister-designate Narendra Modi, set to take oath for the third consecutive term Sunday as the head of an NDA government, is expected to hand over the list of Ministers in his council a few hours ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, scheduled for 7.15 pm at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The BJP, 32 seats below the majority mark, will need the support of its allies, especially Telugu Desam Party and Janata Dal (United). Indeed, top BJP leaders, including Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, along with party national president J P Nadda, have been in consultations with TDP’s Chandrababu Naidu, JD-U’s Nitish Kumar, and Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde, to work out how best to accommodate them in the Council of Ministers.

The final decision is, of course, with the Prime Minister-designate but sources said the BJP is likely to retain the crucial portfolios of Home, Finance, Defence and External Affairs, all part of the Cabinet Committee on Security. Education and Culture, two ministries shaped by the party’s ideological imperatives, are also likely to stay with the BJP.

The overarching message, a senior BJP leader said, is to signal that although the BJP is 32 seats below the majority mark, this is not a “weak, defensive government.”

Naidu left for Andhra Pradesh Saturday because of the death of celebrated media baron Ramoji Rao and is expected to be back in New Delhi Sunday.

The view in the BJP is that on top of Naidu’s priority list is “adequate financial support” for Andhra Pradesh from the Centre and that may also play a role in the Ministerial berths he gets. Sources said the TDP, the largest ally with 16 MPs, could get at least two positions in the Council of Ministers while Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena (which has two MPs ) may be offered one.

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