Cabinet calls: Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani among top names

All eyes are on the Cabinet that will take oath with Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi today at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Earlier today, Modi and BJP Chief Amit Shah reportedly met at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg to finalise the names for the ministerial berths.

Top leaders from the BJP and NDA allies received calls from the BJP chief asking them to reach the PM's home office by 4:30pm for a meeting. It is expected that the leaders will be briefed about their roles in the new government at this meeting.

The top names include a host of former Union Ministers, including Smriti Irani, who defeated Congress president Rahul Gandhi in the Gandhi bastion of Amethi in the Lok Sabha elections.

Other big names who received a call to meet the PM include Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, Nitin Gadkari, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Sadanand Gowda, Babul Supriyo, Prakash Javadekar and Muthkar Abbas Naqvi.

Reports say that Sushma Swaraj, too, received a call.

Gowda confirmed that he received a call from the Shah.

"I received a call from Amit Shah. He said that I should be there at home office of PM at 5 o'clock and swearing-in ceremony at 7 o'clock. At 5 o'clock PM will have tea with Cabinet and other ministerial colleagues and then we'll go to Rashtrapati Bhawan to take oath," he was quoted as saying by ANI.

Among the top names from the allies were RPI's Ramdas Athawale, Apna Dal's Anupriya Patel, SAD's Harsimrat Kaur Badal and LJP's Ram Vilas Paswan.

Athawale had earlier today said that he was expecting a call from the PM.

"I believe that Modi Ji will consider me to be a minister. I'm hopeful of getting a phone call regarding it today. Names of Ram Vilas Paswan, Anupriya Patel and Arvind Sawant have come; I think I will also get a chance to serve the nation," he was quoted as saying by ANI.

Paswan's LJP contested on and won six Lok Sabha seats in Bihar.

Earlier today, leaders of Bimstec nations invited to the swearing-in ceremony arrived in New Delhi.

Myanmar President U Win Myint, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Thailand's Special Envoy Grisada Boonrac were among those who arrived in New Delhi today.

Notable persons from the business world, who will be attending today's ceremony, include Mukesh Ambani, Ratan Tata, Anand Mahindra, Anil Agarwal and Ajay Piramal.

Meanwhile, Chief Ministers of some Congress-ruled states said they will not attend the PM's swearing-in ceremony.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh will not be attending the ceremony.

Copyright: The Statesman/ Asia News Network