CNN Central News & Network–ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: The third NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sworn in on Sunday evening, a grand ceremony marked by pomp and grandeur. The event saw 72 ministers taking oath, including 34 ministers from his outgoing council of ministers.
In the new Cabinet, 30 will hold cabinet rank, including those from allies like TDP, JD(U), LJP, JDS, and HAM.
Now that the ceremony is over, the focus has shifted to portfolio allocation and who gets what. The communique in this regard will be released by Rashtrapati Bhawan soon.
Earlier reports had suggested that the BJP may keep key portfolios, including defence, home and foreign ministries. It may also keep to itself significant portfolios like education and culture, which is ideologically significant for the party.
Though there were speculations that Amit Shah, who held the Home Ministry, may take up finance, the Prime Minister sought to dismiss such reports. Two days before the swearing-in, Modi sought NDA MPs not to fall prey to hoaxes about ministries and portfolios.
He said the “INDI Alliance” could also indulge in spreading “fake news” about such issues. “I did not find any truth in what is being run. I said one should ask where they get such information from. There has not been such an occasion in the last 10 years, so there will be such excitement. Some people reach out to you and say they have high contacts and will make you minister… We fall for it thinking this could be a way to become a minister,” PM Modi said.
Meanwhile, the first Cabinet meeting of new ministers will be held on Monday at 5 pm, according to reports. The focus will now shift to the government’s 100-day plan. The tenure has already begun on a challenging note with reports of a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir on a pilgrim bus.