NEW DELHI, June 7: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi met President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday and skated the NDA’s claim to form the government.
Official sources said the President accepted the claim and invited Mr Modi for swearing-in to form the government. The President will administer the Oath of Office and Secrecy to the Prime Minister and other members of the Union Council of Ministers on June 09, 2024 at 07:15 pm at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Later Addressing reporters outside the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, the Prime Minister assured the citizens that development work would continue in his third term with the same pace as it was in first two terms.
Earlier in the day, Mr Modi was elected the leader of the NDA alliance parliamentary party. As the meeting began, senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh proposed Narendra Modi’s name as leader of BJP and National Democratic Alliance in Lok Sabha. The decision was also backed by BJP leader Amit Shah.
The swearing in ceremony for Mr Modi’s third consecutive term will be held in the presence of the several global leaders who have been specially invited to attend the event.
An NDA delegation, led by J.P. Nadda, President, BJP, and comprising Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Ashwini Vaishnaw, C.N. Manjunath, N. Chandrababu Naidu, Nitish Kumar, Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh), Sanjay Jha, Eknath Shinde, H.D. Kumaraswamy, Chirag Paswan, Jitan Ram Manjhi, Pawan Kalyan, Ajit Pawar, Anupriya Patel, Jayant Chaudhary, Joyanta Basumatary, Atul Bora, Indra Hang Subba, Sudesh Mahto, Chandra Prakash Choudhary, and Ramdas Athawale called on the President.
A letter handed over to the president said Mr Modi had been elected leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party. Letters of support from NDA constituent parties were also handed over to the President, the official X handle of Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a statement.
Later in the evening, the discussions for cabinet formation was taken up by the top BJP leaders with the alliance partners at the residence of Mr Nadda ahead of the swearing-in of the Council of Ministers along with Mr Modi on Sunday.
Sources say the BJP wants to keep the top four ministries — Home, External Affairs, Defence, and Finance — with itself, along with some other key ministries like Railways, Road Transport, Law, Information Technology and Education. Nitish Kumar’s JD-U too is said to be eyeing Railways along with Agriculture and Rural Development. Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP could get a cabinet post and two Ministers of State.
Nearly 15 spots in the Union Council of Ministers could go to NDA allies. Senior BJP leaders Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh and party president JP Nadda were engaged in discussions. As per sources, the meetings were taking place one-on-one. The first meeting was reportedly held with NCP’s Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel and Sameer Bhujbal, followed by RLD chief Jayant Choudhary.
The TDP, which is the largest constituency in the NDA with 16 MPs, could get at least three berths in the Council of Ministers, including a cabinet post and two Ministers of State. In 2018, before the TDP had quit the National Democratic Alliance, it had a cabinet minister and a Minister of State in the Narendra Modi government. The TDP then too had 16 MPs, but its importance is far greater this time.
The JD-U similarly could be in the running for three berths, a full cabinet minister position and two Ministers of State. The JD-U had incidentally sought four berths in 2019 when it had won 16 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, but the BJP had not relented and JD-U stayed out of the cabinet. This time, the JD-U has won 12 seats, but like the TDP, it has far more importance this time. The JD-U is said to be eying the coveted Railways Ministry, Agriculture and Rural Development. Nitish Kumar has earlier served as the Railways Minister while RCP Singh of the JD-U has served as Minister of Steel.
The Shiv Sena of Eknath Shinde, with seven seats, could also get a cabinet post and a Minister of State berth, while the same could be offered to Chirag Paswan’s LJP which has secured a five-on-five verdict in Bihar. The JD-S, Jana Sena of Pawan Kalyan, and Jayant Chaudhary’s RLD could be offered either a full cabinet minister-ship each or a Minister of State with Independent Charge. The Apna Dal of Anupriya Patel and HAM of Jitin Ram Manjhi, who have won a seat each, could also be in the running for a Minister of State post each.
There may be a MoS or a MoS with Independent Charge post given to Ajit Pawar’s NCP, which has one seat in Maharashtra this time.
(Manas Dasgupta)