Newly elected MPs of the BJP-led NDA will meet on Saturday, 25 May, to formally elect Prime Minister Narendra Modi as their leader, setting in motion the process of froming the next government. The BJP said that the meeting will take place in Parliament's Central Hall at 5 pm. Prior to this, BJP MPs will meet separately at Parliament House.
A Cabinet meeting was held at 5 pm on Friday, 24 May at the South Block where a resolution for the 16th Lok Sabha was passed. The meeting was followed by Narendra Modi and his outgoing Council of Ministers tendering their resignations to President Kovind.
As the BJP swept to power with a spectacular performance for a second term, all eyes are now on government formation, amid speculation that several new faces including party president Amit Shah may be brought into the new cabinet.
Snapshot
- The Cabinet passed a resolution to dissolve the 16th Lok Sabha and the new House has to be constituted before 3 June
- The oath-taking ceremony is likely to take place on 30 May.
- A day after victory, PM Modi and Amit Shah met party veterans LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi
- The NDA has got more than 350 members in Lok Sabha, including 303 of the BJP
10:51 AM, 25 May
PM Modi to Go to Gujarat, Varanasi Tomorrow
9:36 PM, 24 May
President Kovind Hosts Banquet in Honour of Modi, Council of Ministers
President Kovind hosted a banquet in honor of the outgoing Union Council of Ministers, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
8:22 PM, 24 May
NDA MPs to Formally Elect Narendra Modi as PM on 25 May
Newly elected MPs of the BJP-led NDA will meet on Saturday, 24 May, to formally elect Prime Minister Narendra Modi as their leader, setting in motion the process of government formation.
The BJP said the meeting will take place in Parliament's Central Hall at 5 pm. Prior to this, BJP MPs will meet separately at Parliament House.
Modi is expected to address the MPs following his election as their leader.
With Modi already being announced as the prime ministerial candidate of the alliance, the meeting is being considered a mere formality.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has got more than 350 members in Lok Sabha, including 303 of the BJP.
According to sources, Modi is likely to visit his parliamentary constituency Varanasi on 28 May, before oath-taking by new members on 30 May.
8:18 PM, 24 May
Jaitley Meets Top Finance Ministry Officials
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Friday met all the five secretaries of his ministry as well as the chairpersons of the two apex tax bodies CBDT and CBIC.
Finance Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg, Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey, Expenditure Secretary G C Murmu, Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Kumar and DIPAM Secretary Atanu Chakraborty were present in the meeting.
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) Chairman P C Mody and Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) Chairman P K Das also attended the meeting at Jaitley's residence.
Jaitley, 66, has not attended office for the past three weeks due to failing health. He missed the cabinet meeting where a resolution for the 16th Lok Sabha was passed, a day after the massive victory of the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections.
(Photo: ANI)
(Photo: ANI)
7:03 PM, 24 May
Modi Tenders Resignation with Council of Ministers to President Kovind
Narendra Modi met the President of India on Friday, 24 May, to tender his resignation as the Prime Minister along with his council of ministers, before forming the new cabinet.
The President has accepted the resignation and requested Modi and the Council of Ministers to continue till the new Government assumes office.
6:59 PM, 24 May
Election Commission Finishes Counting; 303 Seats to BJP
The Election Commission finished counting of votes for all 542 Lok Sabha seats on Friday, 24 May. The BJP stands at 303 seats, followed by Congress at 52 and DMK at 23 seats.
6:23 PM, 24 May
Arun Jaitley Misses Cabinet Meeting Due to Bad Health
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley missed the Union Cabinet meeting on Friday, 24 May, due to bad health, reported ANI. An exclusive report by Reuters said Jaitley is unlikely to continue in his current role.
6:19 PM, 24 May
Union Cabinet Recommends Dissolution of 16th Lok Sabha
The Union Cabinet on Friday, 24 May, recommended the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha, government sources told PTI.
After the Cabinet's recommendation, President Ram Nath Kovind is now expected to dissolve the present Lok Sabha, the term of which is ending on 3 June.
4:26 PM, 24 May
All Eyes on New Govt Formation
As the BJP swept to power with a spectacular performance for a second term, all eyes are now on government formation, amid speculation that several new faces including party president Amit Shah may be brought into the new cabinet.
Many party leaders are of the view that Shah will join the Modi Cabinet and be given one of the four key ministries – Home, Finance, External Affairs and Defence.
With Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj having health issues, there have been talks whether they will be part of the new dispensation or not.
Jaitley, a Rajya Sabha member, had unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha election from Amritsar in 2014, while Swaraj, who had won from Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh, opted out from the electoral battle this time on health ground.
The two leaders have not commented on whether they would like to join the government or not
In the run-up to the results, Shah had also sidestepped queries on him joining the government, saying it is the prerogative of the party and the prime minister.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is expected to continue with a key role in the new government.
A number of senior faces from the outgoing cabinet including Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Piyush Goyal, Narendra Singh Tomar and Prakash Javadekar are set to figure in the new cabinet.
Among allies, Shiv Sena and JD(U) are likely to be given cabinet berths as both the parties have done exceedingly well, winning 18 and 16 respectively.
The party will reward new faces from states like West Bengal, Odisha and Telangana where it has made significant inroads.
3:42 PM, 24 May
What to Expect at the Cabinet Meeting?
The Union Cabinet will meet on Friday, 24 May, evening to recommend the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha.
After the Cabinet's recommendation is passed in the form of a resolution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar are likely to meet President Ram Nath Kovind to hand over the resolution as well as the resignation of the Council of Ministers, official sources said Friday.
"The PM would then be asked to continue till the new government is formed. Date for the swearing-in ceremony will be fixed," explained former Lok Sabha secretary-general and constitutional expert P D T Acharya.
He said the president will dissolve the present Lok Sabha, the term of which is ending on June 3. "If it is not dissolved, it will get automatically dissolved on June 3 ... It is a mere formality," he said.
The 17th Lok Sabha has to be constituted before 3 June and the process to form a new House will be initiated when the three election commissioners meet the president in the next few days to hand over the list of newly elected members.
All the newly elected BJP MPs may meet Saturday to elect Modi as their leader, following which he will meet the president to stake claim to form the new government, party sources said.
11:36 AM, 24 May
PM Modi's Swearing-In Likely on 30 May: Report
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Varanasi on 28 May, followed by a visit to Gujarat on 29 May, a BJP source cited by CNN-News18 said. The swearing-in is likely to happen on 30 May.
11:19 AM, 24 May
'Murli Manohar Joshi is a Scholar and Intellectual Par Excellence': PM Modi
10:59 AM, 24 May
'BJP's Successes Possible Because of Greats Like Advani': PM Modi
10:38 AM, 24 May
PM Modi Meets LK Advani after Historic Mandate
PM Modi on Friday met veteran BJP leader LK Advani in the presence of the party chief Amit Shah.
He is also expected to meet Murli Manohar Joshi later on Friday. Both Advani and Joshi are members of BJP’s margdarshak mandal.
9:56 AM, 24 May
Cabinet Meeting at 5 pm Today
A Cabinet meeting will be held at 5 pm on Friday at the South Block, followed by an outgoing Council of Ministers meeting at 5:30 pm. The Cabinet will be passing a resolution to dissolve the 16th Lok Sabha.
8:02 AM, 24 May
Major Changes in the Cabinet: Berth for Amit Shah, New Role for Jaitley?
The BJP’s mandate in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls could usher in some major changes in the next Cabinet, according to sources in the government.
This shuffle is likely to affect some of the top portfolios including the Home Ministry and Finance Ministry. BJP leaders who have inched the party towards victory in the Lok Sabha polls are likely to be rewarded by Narendra Modi.
After holding the portfolio of MoS in Gujarat, BJP President Amit Shah could be awarded the Home Ministry in the central government. This could mean a change in berth for present Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Shah’s induction into the Cabinet would also leave the position of BJP chief open.
The Modi government could also replace Finance Minister Arun Jaitley with an alternative.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal could be a viable option for handling charge of the Finance Ministry. Goyal took over temporary additional change of the portfolio between May and August 2018, during Jaitley’s absence for medical treatment.