Cabinet reshuffle as it happened: Modi's picks balance caste equations in UP, Rajasthan ahead of Assembly polls

Virendra Kumar's elevation brings caste balance in Bundelkhand ahead of 2018 Assembly polls

Why was Virendra chosen over others?

BJP's top leadership chose Virendra to ensure a caste and regional balance in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh, ahead of the Assembly polls in the state next year.

Kumar as a representative from the region became an obvious choice especially after Union minister Uma Bharti, a BJP stalwart from Bundelkhand and a former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh who once dominated the region, moved out of the state and got elected as an MP from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh in 2014.

No new member from allies, Cabinet reshuffle an all-BJP affair

The third reshuffle in the Modi Cabinet turned out to be an all-BJP affair as its allies were not a part of the exercise. It was expected that its new partner, the JD(U), would get representation in the central government, but it turned otherwise.

JD(U) spokesperson KC Tyagi said his party was not invited to join the government. The Shiv Sena too was unhappy with its non-inclusion in the Cabinet, stating that the NDA was "almost dead" and that BJP remembered it only when it needed some support.

Sources in the BJP said that members of their alliance might join the government later as there was still a scope for expansion of the Union Council of Ministers. They, however, added that a decision on the allies joining the government would be taken later.  —PTI

From economics to defence, Nirmala Sitharaman rose quickly in BJP

Nirmala Sitharaman became the first woman to be a full-time defence minister in India on Sunday. Her journey in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) started as a spokesperson and grew in rank soon with her speaking style and debating skills.

On Sunday, Sitharaman became India's second woman defence minister and the first woman to be made in-charge of this key ministry full time. "Somebody who has come from a small town, grown into the party with all the support of the leadership, and if given such responsibility, it just makes you feel sometimes that cosmic grace is there. Otherwise, it is impossible," Sitharaman told reporters here after taking oath as a Union Minister.

Nitin Gadkari given additional charge of water resources ministry to expedite Clean Ganga Mission

Faced with the herculean task of fulfilling the BJP-led government's promise of cleaning the Ganga, the Centre needed nothing short of a silver bullet to meet the deadline for the project, which some allege, is being implemented at a snail's pace.

This sluggish implementation is the ostensible reason behind transport minister Nitin Gadkari, considered one of the top-performing ministers, getting the additional charge of water resources ministry, sources say.

Four Ministers of State upgraded to cabinet rank in reshuffle 

The BJP-led government on Sunday promoted four ministers, largely seen as performers, to the cabinet, which also got a Muslim face with the induction of Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

The elevation of Dharmendra Pradhan and Nirmala Sitharaman, Rajya Sabha MPs from Odisha and Karnataka, is also reflective of the BJP's political calculation in these poll-bound states.

Sitharaman's stunning elevation from commerce ministry to Defence grabbed the lion's share of attraction in the latest round of reshuffle.

The second big gainer Piyush Goyal, entrusted with the Railways portfolio, is widely credited with astutely steering the Centre's rural electrification agenda and turning around the coal sector as a Minister of State with independent charge for power, coal, new and renewable energy and mines.

Pradhan and Naqvi retained their portfolios of Oil and Gas and Minority Affairs respectively.

Sixty-year-old Naqvi, a Shia from Uttar Pradesh, is the lone Muslim face in the council of ministers of the Modi government. He has been handling the twin portfolios of Minority Affairs (Independent Charge) and Parliamentary Affairs. —PTI

Alphons Kannanthanam is part of Narendra Modi's 2019 plan, but BJP's Kerala unit feels otherwise

The induction of bureaucrat-turned politician Alphons Kannanthanam into the Union cabinet has come as a big surprise to the state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

It had expected either state president Kummanam Rajashekharan or Suresh Gopi, party’s lone Rajya Sabha member, to be in the ministry when they made a strong bid for representation to the southern state in the Narendra Modi government.

But party’s master strategist Amit Shah had other plans in his mind when he pitched for Alphons, who is currently a member of the BJP’s national executive committee, for the ministerial berth. Shaw saw in him a potential candidate who could win a seat for the party from Kerala in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Nirmala Sitharaman meets Rajnath Singh 

Defence Minister designate Nirmala Sitharaman calls on Home Minister Rajnath Singh after being sworn in as the union cabinet minister. She will take charge of the ministry after Arun Jaitley concludes his security dialogue in Japan 

Nirmala Sitharaman is new defence minister: PMO writ likely to remain large in her ministry

Her surprise nomination to the post of defence minister means two things — that she has acquired the supreme confidence of the prime minister and her integrity factor which was considered the most critical thing for occupying this post in the Modi regime is beyond doubt in eyes of her two political bosses. At another level, her big bang promotion means that the writ of the Prime Minister’s Office would run large in the defence ministry.

Manish Tewari calls nine new ministers inducted in cabinet a 'senior citizens' club'

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari described the nine new ministers as a "senior citizens' club", pointing out that while the median age of a person in the country was 27 years, the average age of the new entrants was 60.44 years.

Talking to the media, Tewari claimed Modi was "strangely disconnected" from the Cabinet reshuffle exercise. "It seems that (BJP president) Amit Shah is the prime minister," he said, referring to reports that claimed Shah summoned ministers and asked them to resign before the rejig.

He also termed the expansion "maximum government and minimum governance". ​"This reflects that the prime minister does not trust his political colleagues," Tewari added.  —PTI

Cabinet expansion to divert attention from government's 'failure,' says Mayawati

The expansion of the Narendra Modi cabinet at the Centre is an attempt to divert the attention of the people from the government's "failure" in tackling burning issues the country is facing, BSP chief Mayawati said on Sunday.

The expansion is an attempt to divert the attention of the people from the "failure of the government on burning problems like poverty, unemployment, Ganga cleaning" as well as promises made by the BJP during the Lok Sabha polls, Mayawati said.

"This is new drama being enacted by the BJP. The people have lost hope and are angry with the government. In place of politicians, retired bureaucrats are being relied on more in the expansion and an attempt is being made to propagate the agenda of RSS," she said in a statement. The expansion reflects the tensions in the BJP and in the NDA, she added.

Narendra Modi's bet on Nirmala Sitharaman sounds risky, but could be key to defence modernisation

The most startling aspect of the Narendra Modi Cabinet reshuffle is that a minister who has just been promoted to Cabinet rank has been given the defence portfolio. It normally goes to one of the most senior politicians in the government, but the new defence minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, is listed just above the minister for minority affairs at the bottom of the list of Cabinet ministers.

It is a risky gambit. For, the need to gird up the defence preparedness has been widely felt in the wake of China’s belligerence over the Doka La stand-off, which ended amid tremendous tension just about three days before the reshuffle. Metaphorically speaking, the defence minister will need to move mountains.

Scarcity of talented legislators in BJP lays bare after Kannanthanam, Puri become ministers

Induction of four retired bureaucrats, two of them not even MPs, among nine new ministers who took the oath of office at Rashtrapati Bhavan with stress on "performance" and "last mile delivery" speaks volume about the lack of talent pool in the party.

In other words Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s expression of high confidence in the abilities of Raj Kumar Singh, Alphons Kannanthanam (both IAS), Hardeep Singh Puri (IFS) and Satya Pal Singh (IPS) is also in some ways the prime minister’s expression of low confidence in the regular bench strength comprising of entry level cadre of politicians. This has caused certain unease among a section of party leaders.

RSS member Anantkumar Hegde faces charges for linking Islam to terrorism

A hardcore RSS member and a controversial politician Anantkumar Hegde has emerged as a dark horse to find a ministerial slot.

A five-time Member of Parliament from Uttara Kannada Lok Sabha constituency, having entered the Parliament at the age of 28, he is currently the member of Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs and Human Resources.

Hegde in March last year had sparked a controversy over his reported remarks allegedly linking Islam to terrorism, and is facing a case under IPC in this regard.

With Nirmala Sitharaman as new defence minister, central security committee to have two women

With the appointment of Nirmala Sitharaman as the new defence minister on Sunday, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), will now have two women ministers.

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj is member of the CCS, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is responsible for decisions on external and internal security. Its other members are finance minister Arun Jaitley and home minister Rajnath Singh.

BJP says Shiv Pratap Shukla's induction a move 'to balance caste equations'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet reshuffle on Sunday turned the spotlight on Purvanchal or eastern Uttar Pradesh and the BJP's efforts at balancing regions and caste equations, political leaders in Lucknow said.

The induction of Shiv Pratap Shukla as a minister highlighted the importance of the Brahmin vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party, they said.

The 65-year-old Shukla, who belongs to Gorakhpur — the citadel of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath — joined the Union council of ministers just days after Mahendra Nath Pandey from Ghazipur, also in eastern Uttar Pradesh, was made state BJP chief.

Shukla and Pandey are Brahmins, and the moves are being seen as efforts by the party to keep the community in its fold for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma in Uttar Pradesh is also a Brahmin.

Suresh Prabhu reacts to Piyush Goyal taking oath as the new Minister of Railways

"I resigned as railway minister on moral grounds; Piyush Goyal will take prime minister Narendra Modi's dream forward," Cabinet Minister Commerce and Industry Ministry Suresh Prabhu tells News18

Arun Jaitley says Nirmala Sitharaman taking oath as the defence minister is a 'significant landmark'

Manohar Parrikar‏ congratulates Nirmala Sitharaman 

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday congratulated his party colleague Nirmala Sitharaman on being appointed the country's first full-fledged woman defence minister.

Parrikar, who served as defence minister from 2014 to 2017, returned to state politics after the Goa Assembly elections earlier this year. Finance minister Arun Jaitley was holding additional charge of the key ministry.

Chidambaram 'welcomes' Prabhu into commerce and industry ministry

Giriraj Singh gets independent charge

Initially, a MoS in the ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Giriraj, the Newada MP, now gets the independent charge of the ministry. Initally, Kalraj Mishra was hadnlig the ministry. 

Great experience, says Arun Jaitley

While referring to his two brief stints as the defence minister, News18 quoted finance minister Arun Jaitley as saying, "It was a great experience."

Vijay Goel now a MoS, shifted from sports ministry

Vijay Goel, who earlier held the independent charge of the sports and youth affairs ministry, will now be a MoS  in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs as well as the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

Gajendra Shekhawat new MoS, agriculture

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the Lok Sabha MP from Jodhpur, who was a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on finance and chairperson of the fellowship committee, will now be a MoS in the agriculture ministry. Radha Mohan Singh continues to be the Cabinet minister for agriculture. 

Satyapal Singh gets HRD, Water resources and Ganga rejuvenation

Former IPS officer Satyapal Singh, who was inducted into the Modi Council of Ministers, will now be a minister of state in the ministry of Human Resources Development as well in the Nitin Gadkari-led Water resources ministry. 

Narendra Modi's charisma remains central as BJP strengthens itself, subtly projects inclusion

Another signal from this reshuffle — again subtle, and so largely unnoticed — is that figures who were prominent in the Advani and Vajpayee years are on shaky ground. Several of those who were dropped, including Kalraj Mishra, Bandaru Dattatreya, and Rajiv Pratap Rudy, were prominent in that period.

On the other hand, persons who have held official positions in the government have become a more prominent part of this ministry. These include police officers, a former home secretary, and an officer who made a name for the no-nonsense demolition of illegal buildings in Delhi.

Omar Abdullah congratulates Nirmala Sitharaman

​

Nitin Gadkari gets additional charge of water resources and Namame Gange

Nitin Gadkari, who is already handling the portfolios of road and surface transport along with shipping, will now also be heading the water resources ministry. Initially there were speculations that he may be given the charge of the railway or defence ministry. 

Rajyavardhan Rathore is now minister for Sports and Youth Affairs (I/C)

Dharmendra Pradhan is new skill development minister

Dharmendra Pradhan, who had the independent charge of the oil and petroleum ministry, will now be the new skill development minister, replacing Rajiv Pratap Rudy. 

Uma Bharti will now handle drinking water and sanitation portfolio, say reports

Uma Bharti, who held the water resources and Namame Gange ministry since 2014, will now be the new drinking water and sanitation minister. Bharti did not attend the swearing-in ceremony on Sunday as she was in Lalitpur, Varanasi. 

Smriti Irani retains Information and Broadcasting ministry, say reports

Smriti Irani, who held the additional charge after the elevation of Venkaiah Naidu as the Vice-President of India, will now retain the I&B portfolio. However, India is likely to get a new textiles minister. 

Prabhu's departure from Railways shows pitfalls of having bureaucrats as ministers 

Among the key takeaways from Narendra Modi's Cabinet Reshuffle so far as we wait for the allocation of portfolios, Suresh Prabhu's departure would rank lower than Prime Minister's push for inducting bureaucrats and technocrats into his team.

Not less than four out of nine new faces have bureaucratic background and it is a testament to the fact that PM is concerned about the gap in perception and performance. Bureaucrats typically bring in sectoral expertise and are well-trained in the system, but Prabhu's travails with Railways shows that the it could be a double-edged sword. Very often technocrats, who follow policy rather than making them, could become subservient to the system instead of overhauling it. 

Suresh Prabhu is the new commerce minister, Hardeep Puri is MoS, Urban Development 

Suresh Prabhu is the new commerce and industry minister, while Hardeep Puri is now Minister of State, Urban Development. 

Nirmala Sitharaman is new defence minister

Nirmala Sitharaman. who earlier held the independent charge of the commerce and industry ministry, has become the first independent woman defence minister of India. Indira Gandhi had held additional charge of portfolio in between 1980 and 1982. 

Three ministers took oath in English, rest in Hindi

All but three ministers took oath in Hindi on Sunday during a swearing in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in which nine new ministers were inducted and four Ministers of State were elevated to the Cabinet.

The three ministers who took oath in English were Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, former diplomat Hardeep Singh Puri and former bureaucrat Alphons Kannanthanam. 

Sitharaman has been promoted to the cabinet while Puri and Kannanthanam became Ministers of State.

Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Power Minister Piyush Goyal and Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the three others who became cabinet ministers, took their oath in Hindi. 

Others who took oath in Hindi were Shiv Pratap Shukla, Ashwini Choubey, Virendra Kumar, Anant Kumar Hegde, R.K. Singh, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Satya Pal Singh, all of whom became Ministers of State. 

IANS

After the Cabinet reshuffle, Arun Jaitley will be off to Japan, reports NDTV

Congress wishes luck to new ministers

New defence minister for India?

According to News18, Arun Jaitley is likely to be relieved of the additional charge of the defence ministry as he wants to focus on the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections. 

Shashi Tharoor's wise reminder to newly inducted MoS-es

Hardeep Singh Puri likely to be new MoS, Defence: News18

​

I will never betray PM's trust, says Ashwini Choubey

After Shiv Sena, JD(U) too says it was a 'BJP reshuffle'

Modi has rewarded technocrats like Puri, Alphons

Hardeep Singh Puri and Alphons Kannanthanam are not members of any House of Parliament and the onus is now on party leadership to help them enter Rajya Sabha before expiry of mandatory six months period .

Puri has an excellent record as a diplomat and was also associated with Ajit Doval’s Vivekananda Foundation. During his student days, Puri's thought process was closer to that of BJP (the then Jan Sangh) but his lateral entry as minister in third and possibly the final expansion of the Modi government by itself is a big story.
 

If Puri is a Sikh, then Alphons is a Christian from Kerala, who first made his mark in national capital as vice-chairman of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). His entry into Modi's ministry is expected to provide BJP some leeway in Christian community in Kerala. 

Shiv Sena calls Cabinet rejig a show of arrogance

No change in the CCS

TV reports suggest that there won't be any change in the portfolios of Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Rajnath Singh. These three along with the prime minister are part of the Cabinet Committee on Security. 

Prabhu to be new power minister

According to News18, Suresh Prabhu is likely to swap ministries with Piyush Goyal. So we can expect Prabhu to become the new power ministry while Goyal may be the new railway minister. 

Jaitley retains both portfolio, Goyal new rail minister

According to reports, Arun Jaitley will continue to handle two key portfolios of defence and finance even after the Cabinet reshuffle. Even though it is a speculation, experts question BJP's decision of not appointing someone else for a vital ministry as the defence.

Piyush Goyal is slated to be the next railways minister.

After Cabinet reshuffle, Modi leaves for BRICS Summit in China

This is a BJP reshuffle, taunts Shiv Sena

PIB releases list of those made Cabinet ministers and MoS-es

Working to make a New India, says Dharmendra Pradhan

Celebrations at Satyapal Singh's residence after being sworn-in minister

JD(U) brushes aside news of differences with BJP over Cabinet reshuffle

A top leader of the JD(U), considered close to chief minister Nitish Kumar, claimed there was absolutely no differences with BJP or within the party over joining the Union Cabinet.
 

"Nitish Kumar was open to consider the proposal of joining the cabinet as he himself said but there was no consensus within other constituents of the NDA till the last minute. Shiv Sena was perhaps demanding more share and AIADMK government in Tamilnadu was also far from stable. These are the reasons why the PM and Amit Shah chose to limit the rejig within BJP," he explained.

Three ministers in the Council of Ministers with an eye on Assembly elections

PTI notes that three of the BJP MPs being inducted — Kumar, Hegde and Shekhawat — are from Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan respectively where Assembly polls are due next year. 

Entry and promotion of ministers based on PM's 4P strategy

Nine new ministers of state have been sworn-in and four ministers of state (Independent Charge) have been elevated to Cabinet rank. Sources within the government told Firstpost that the entry and promotion was based on Modi's 4P formula: Passion + Proficiency + Professional & Political acumen - for Progress.

But the bigger news would be when the portfolios and reshuffle is announced. Doubts over the defence and railway ministries would finally come to an end which could also start an interesting spiral for other ministries.

An official statement from Rashtrapati Bhavan on allocation of portfolio is expected before the prime minister leaves for China in the afternoon. On past occasions — November 2014 and July 2016 — shuffling of ministries and allocation of portfolios was very late in night. This time around, however, it is different.

Suresh Prabhu bids goodbye

Suresh Prabhu won't remain Railway minister as he took to twitter to announce farewell. There is no clarity yet on who will take up the job. Nitin Gadkari is apparently reluctant to take it up so late and owning up its failures.

One option could be Piyush Goyal, who is expected to take the over. Speculation is that he might get additional charge of Railways.

Narendra Modi congratulates new Cabinet ministers, MoS-es 

Bigger roles for Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Jitendra Singh?

Lalu Prasad Yadav reacts to the Cabinet rejig

Pradhan, Goyal, Sitharaman and Naqvi: All performance-based elevations

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pick of four ministers — Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sitharaman and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi is performance based but the politics of it is interesting.

Pradhan has proved his worth by Ujjwala scheme but one of the main reasons behind his elevation to Cabinet rank is to give him required profile to make him party's chief ministerial face in Odisha.

After Venkaiah Naidu's exit from active politics, Nirmala Sitharaman has the potential to emerge as the BJP's face in South India (other than Karnataka). She hails from TamilNadu. Sitharaman also enjoys confidence of Modi, Arjun Jaitley and Amit Shah.

Piyush Goyal has impressed Modi and Shah by his performance in his ministry and by his organisational work. His elevation to Cabinet rank would make it possible for him to hold more important portfolios and also have a greater say in Maharastra politics.

Naqvi's elevation means that Union Cabinet will have representation of a Muslim member. He has been consistent, non-confrontationist and up to mark as MoS parliamentary affairs and minority affairs.

Here are India's new Union ministers 

Swearing-in ceremony is over

After the elevation of four MoS to cabinet rank and the induction of nine new MoS rank ministers, the swearing-in ceremony is over. 

KJ Alphons now a MoS

Alphons Kannanthanam is a former IAS officer of the 1979 batch, Kerala cadre. He is also a practicing advocate. Alphons became famous as Delhi's "Demolition Man" when he was the commissioner of the Delhi Development Authority, having cleared DDA areas of encroachment removing around 15,000 illegal buildings.

Satyapal Singh takes oath as MoS

A former IPS officer, Singh was the Mumbai Police commissioner before taking the political plunge in 2014. 

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat now a MoS 

Shekhawat is a first-term MP from Jodhpur. A popular figure on social media, he began his career as a farmer leader, affiliated to the RSS. 

Hardeep Singh Puri to be MoS

A former envoy to the United Nations, Hardeep Puri was one of the top diplomats of India. A 1974-batch IFS officer, he is reported to be made a MoS defence or commerce. 

Anantkumar Hegde takes oath as MoS

Anantkumar Hegde, the Lok Sabha MP from Uttar Kannada, was one of the youngest MPs in the 11th Lok Sabha in 1996. Hegde is a five-term MP, who became a giantkiller by defeating Margaret Alva. 

RK Singh sworn-in as MoS

Singh is a first-term MP from Arah, Bihar. A former Home Secretary, Singh is popular for once arresting LK Advani during the 1990 Rath Yatra. 

Veerendra Kumar becomes MoS

BJP's Veerendra Kumar is a six-term MP from Tikamgarh and an important Dalit face of the BJP. 

Bihar's Ashwini Kumar Choubey takes oath as MoS

Choubey, who has been a health minister is the Nitish Kumar government in the past, is a Brahmin strongman from Bihar. He is currently a Lok Sabha MP from Buxar.

MoS swearing-in begins

Rajya Sabha MP Shiv Pratap Shukla is the first one to take oath as Minister of State. Shukla has been a minister in BJP governments in Uttar Pradesh.

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi takes oath as Cabinet minister 

Naqvi elevation a message from Modi to Muslims 

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi's elevation as a full-fledged member of the Narendra Modi Cabinet could be a message to the Muslims, who have variously felt left out of the new power equation in Indian politics. There were no Muslim Cabinet ministers in Modi regime after Najma Heptullah resigned to take up the Governor's post.

Naqvi is an articulate face and has never made anything controversial statements.

Nirmala Sitharaman takes oath as Cabinet minister 

Piyush Goyal second person to take oath as Cabinet minister 

Swearing-in ceremony begins 

Dharmendra Pradhan first to take oath as Cabinet minister 

Recap: 4 MoS (I/C) get promotion 

Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sitharaman, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Dharmendra Pradhan to be made Cabinet ministers. 

Vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu arrives for the swearing-in ceremony

Reshuffle a BJP-only affair

New faces to be sworn-in and elevation of four ministers of state into the Cabinet have all been a strictly BJP-only affair. The nine new faces are a mixture of BJP MPs and bureaucrats.

In Nirmala Sitharaman, Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi's Cabinet berths, the narrative is reinforced. Two things emerge. One, the BJP is trying to dispel the notion that it is doesn't have talent within its ranks. Two, the NDA might be grappling with internal wranglings.

The JD(U), Shiv Sena have all been ignored. This could be because favouring one over the other could've highlighted the fault lines. It is notable that Shiv Sena is sulking over not getting a ministerial berth and Nitish Kumar, too, has denied any plans of attending the function on Sunday. 

Suresh Prabhu likely to get power or environment ministry, say TV reports

JD(U) likely to be inducted into Modi Cabinet later, says NDTV

​

Prime Minister arrives

Swearing-in to begin once Narendra Modi and Ram Nath Kovind come to Rashtrapati Bhavan

Five women in Modi Cabinet 

Cabinet list disappears from website, new list now awaited

Naqvi thanks Modi

"Thank you for the wishes. Media, friends have played a huge role in my success," Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi tells CNN-News18. 

Uma Bharti to skip swearing-in 

Union minister Uma Bharati will not attend the swearing in ceremony. According to NDTV, the firebrand leader will remain in Lalitpur. 

RK Singh, ex-home secretary, likely to be MoS

Raj Kumar Singh is a Lok Sabha MP from Arrah, Bihar. He is a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committees on Health and Family Welfare, Personnel, Pensions and Public Grievances and Law & Justice. Raj Kumar Singh is also a former IAS officer of the 1975 batch, Bihar cadre. He rose up the ranks to become the Home Secretary of India.

Singh has served in multiple roles of responsibility including Defence Production Secretary and Joint Secretary Home; as well as heading home, industries, public works and agriculture among other departments in the Bihar government. He is known for his contributions to schemes for police and prison modernization, and laying down a framework for disaster management.

Swearing-in ceremony to begin shortly as ministers arrive at Rashtrapati Bhavan

​

Shiv Sena won"t attend swearing-in ceremony

Shiv Sena is unhappy and will not attend today's oath ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, News18 reports.

Hardeep Puri likely to be made MoS Commerce or Defence, say reports

Meeting ends between new minsters and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reports News18

Karnataka's young leader Anantkumar Hegde may be a minister

Anantkumar Hegde is a Lok Sabha MP from Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka. He is a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs and Human Resource Development. Having been elected as an MP for the first time at the age of 28 years, Hedge is now a fifth term Lok Sabha MP.

During his multiple stints in the Parliament, he has been a member of multiple Parliamentary Standing Committees including the likes of finance, home affairs, human resource development, commerce, agriculture and external affairs. Hegde has also been a member of the Spices Board of India for four terms.

Nitin Gadkari unlikely to move out

News18 quotes Sources close to Nitin Gadkari as saying that the Union minister wants to continue with current portfolios — surface transport and shipping. However, he is also believed to have said that any added responsibility is welcome. 

4 Ps of the Modi Council of Ministers

According to media reports, there are “4P” — passion, proficiency, professionalism and political acumen — that is determining who will be part of the new Narendra Modi Council of Ministers. 

Narendra Modi does not like to be questioned, says Maharashtra BJP MP

Piyush Goyal may be next railway minister, reports media reports

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi to be elevated to Cabinet rank

Not only Piyush Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan and Nirmala Sitharaman, but BJP's minority face Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi will also be made a Cabinet minister. 

NDTV

Amit Shah reaches prime minister's residence, NDTV reports

Virendra Kumar, the Dalit face of BJP

Virendra Kumar is a Lok Sabha MP from Tikamgah, Madhya Pradesh. He has had a distinguished career in public service as a six-term Lok Sabha MP. Kumar is the chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour, and has been chairman of the Joint Committee on Office of Profit and a member of National Social Security Board.

During his multiple stints in Parliament, Virendra Kumar has amongst others been a member of the Parliamentary Committees on Labour and Welfare, Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Privileges, Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Congress raises questions on Cabinet reshuffle

Ahead of a reshuffle of the Union Cabinet, the Congress on Saturday raised questions on whether the ministers who may be removed or have resigned have any link to corruption cases that are being probed. 

The Congress also accused the Centre of being "selective" and "opportunistic" in dealing with opposition leaders under investigation in cases of corruption. 

PTI

JD(U) confirms none of the members will be made ministers

Alphons Kannanthanam is BJP trump card to woo Church in Kerala

According to News18, Kannanthanam's selection is part of Amit Shah’s plans to bring Catholic Church in Kerala closer to the NDA. The report notd that Shah has been making overtures to the Church for support. It is significant that Kanjirappally, from where Kannanthanam was elected as a MLA in 2006, is dominated by Syrian Christians.

Who gets Defence and Railways?

While defence ministry generally goes to a political heavy weight, who becomes a part of the Cabinet Committee on Security. Speculations are rife that Nitin Gadkari or Suresh Prabhu may get the portfolio. Whether external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj be chosen to head the ministry will also be seen. 

Meanwhile, News18 reports that Dharmendra Pradhan, Nirmala Sitaraman and Piyush Goyal may be elevated to the Cabinet rank. 

Who are out of the Modi Council of Ministers?

There are six outgoing ministers from the Cabinet, including Kalraj Mishra (MoS MSME), Rajiv Pratap Rudy (MoS Independent Charge of Skill Development), Bandaru Dattatreya (Labour), Faggan Singh Kulaste (MoS Health), Sanjiv Balyan (MoS Water Resources) and Mahendra Nath Pandey (MoS HRD). Pandey was recently named BJP chief of Uttar Pradesh.

Mystery of the new railway minister continues

Speaking to NDTV, Union minister Nitin Gadkari, who is speculated to take over the railway ministry said, "It is the prime minister's prerogative to allocate portfolios. New ministers will be inducted and PM Modi will take a decision on this". 

Ministers leave for PM residence ahead of swearing-in, reports India Today

Ex-civil servants to get MoS rank berths

According to NDTV, former civil servants RK Singh, Satyapal Singh and Alphons Kannanthanam are likely to be made Ministers of State in the Narendra Modi's Council of Ministers.

Shiv Pratap Shukla, Yogi Adityanath's rival gets a call

Shiv Pratap Shukla is a Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh and a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development. Shukla served as a Cabinet minister in the Uttar Pradesh government for eight years, and is known for his work in rural development, education and prison reform during his tenure. He was also elected as a Member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly for four consecutive times in 1989, 1991, 1993 and 1996.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi to meet new ministers at 9 am

Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony at 10.30 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Modi has called all the new ministers at his 7 Lok Kalyan Marg residence for a breakfast meeting at 9 am, NDTV reported. 

Ashwini Kumar Choubey: The Bihar strongman

A Lok Sabha MP from Buxar in Bihar, Ashwini Kumar Choubey is member of the Parliamentary Committee on Estimates and Standing Committee on Energy. He is also a member of Central Silk Board. He has been elected for five consecutive terms to the Bihar Legislative Assembly. He has held important portfolios including health, urban development and public health engineering as a Cabinet minister of the Government of Bihar for eight years.

Rashtrapati Bhawan confirms time of swearing-in 

All you need to know about 9 new faces likely to join Narendra Modi's Council of Ministers

Making a careful choice in the talent pool available among his colleagues, the prime minister chose the new ministers with a clear mandate to deliver on his vision of a New India.

Given the task at hand, all the new ministers are likely to be strategically placed in key ministries, especially focusing on last mile delivery directly to the people. The new ministers come from varied walks of life, bringing in their unique professional perspective and proficiency to the Council of Ministers. Many of them also bring rich administrative and governance experience.

The new batch of ministers is highly qualified, with a number of them having professional as well as doctorate degrees. They come from diverse social and economic backgrounds, as well as from across the country — stretching from Uttar Pradesh to Kerala and Karnataka; and Rajasthan to Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.

Nine ministers to be inducted in cabinet reshuffle tomorrow

Nine new ministers to be inducted tomorrow in the cabinet reshuffle reports Hindustan Times. News18 states that BJP president Amit Shah might not join the council of ministers. ANI adds that the list of leaders that might be inducted are Ashwini Kumar Choubey (Bihar), Shiv Pratap Shukla (Uttar Pradesh), Virendra Kumar (Madhya Pradesh), Anant Kumar Hegde, former IFS officer Hardeep Singh Puri, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, ex-Mumbai Police chief Satya Pal Singh, Alphons Kannanthanam and Raj Kumar Singh.

Sources say Arun Jaitley might retain finance portfolio 

Cabinet Reshuffle Narendra Modi's prerogative, says Nitin Gadkari

"It is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's prerogative who should be given what responsibility. He is the one to decide on tomorrow's cabinet reshuffle," says Nitin Gadkari.

Curt calls, instant resignations; BJP ministers get a taste of Amit Shah's style

By all indications, the size and scale of Sunday’s cabinet reshuffle exercise is going to be big. Modi government has only 18 months left in office to deliver on its promises.

The exit of Bharti and Rudi clearly suggests that Modi considered performance as key criteria. Both these ministers were in-charge of two flagship projects – Skill India and Namami Gange – which had been very close to Modi’s heart. Three years down the line, they have not shown tangible results.

Sushma Swaraj to move to defence ministry?

Media reports speculate that Sushma Swaraj may leave the Ministry of External Affairs and move to the defence ministry. According to News18, this decision could be made during the meeting between Amit Shah and Narendra Modi at the prime minister's 7, Lok Kalyan Marg residence. Nitin Gadkari is also reportedly expected to attend the meeting. 

Cabinet reshuffle timing officially confirmed

PIB confirms that the swearing-in ceremony and cabinet reshuffle is scheduled at Rashtrapati Bhavan around 10 am on Sunday

Nitin Gadkari to meet Narendra Modi in Delhi

Nitin Gadkari will meet the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah at 7.30, reports News18. Gadkari is currently the Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping.

Sitaram Yechury takes a jab at the cabinet reshuffle and demonetisation 

Ahead of the much-awaited Cabinet reshuffle on Sunday, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury took to Twitter to take potshots at the Narendra Modi Cabinet.

Yechury posted a picture of six BJP MPs — five of them ministers — tweeting identical messages calling demonetisation a success. The two-term Rajya Sabha MP commented that such an occurrence points out that reshuffles in the Cabinet does not really matter as everything is dictated by the central command — a reference to the prime minister and BJP chief Amit Shah.

No more making room for allies, Cabinet reshuffle is now based on performance audit

It is being said that this is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's last throw of the dice before the 2019 general elections and he needs to root out non-performers from his cabinet to plug the loopholes before seeking another mandate. Media reports have indicated that professional agencies were pressed into service to do a comprehensive assessment of ministers' performance and the 3 September exercise, Modi's third, is the logical conclusion of that effort.

Prakash Javadekar may be new defence minister, Suresh Prabhu likely to get environment

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi possibly reshuffles his Council of Ministers on Sunday morning, Prakash Javadekar could turn to be the biggest newsmaker of the day.

The buzz in the power corridors in the National Capital suggests that he could well be the new defence minister of the country. If the prime minister indeed springs that surprise then it would be a huge elevation for Javadekar. As defence minister, he would not only be the custodian of the external security of the country but also part of the so-called big four ministers — the ministers who occupy four most critical ministry as per the pecking order in the government located on North Block and South Block on the Raisina Hills.

Nitish Kumar says JD (U) has no information about cabinet reshuffle

"We have no information, no talks about it. We have gotten information only from the media," Chief Minister of Bihar and JD (U) leader Nitish Kumar said when asked by the press about the cabinet reshuffle. Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi was also unaware of the rejig. "Only the Prime minister and the leaders in Delhi can answer these questions (about the cabinet reshuffle)," Sushil said. 

Cabinet reshuffle may be held at 10 am on Sunday before Modi leaves for BRICS summit, says govt official

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake a reshuffle of his council of ministers at 10 am on Sunday, a top government official said.

It will be the third such exercise since he took over in May 2014. The reshuffle is expected to take place before Modi leaves for China on Sunday afternoon.

"A process has been set in motion for the swearing-in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan around 10 am on Sunday," the official said.