Narendra Modi will take the oath of office as India’s Prime Minister for the third time at 7.15 pm today. Before the ceremony, the Mr Modi has been visiting various places of national importance today morning and will host a tea gathering at his residence for the incoming ministers.

BJP’s alliance partners TDP of N Chandrababu Naidu and JDU of Nitish Kumar are expected to secure at least one cabinet berth and one Minister of State post each in the third Narendra Modi government, according to top sources. As per reports, there has been a marathon 11-hour meeting at Narendra Modi’s residence yesterday, attended by Amit Shah, BJP chief JP Nadda, and the party’s national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh.

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Dignitaries attending the ceremony include the President of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe; President of Maldives, Dr Mohamed Muizzu; Vice-President of Seychelles, Mr Ahmed Afif; Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina; Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth; Prime Minister of Nepal, Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’; and Prime Minister of Bhutan, Mr. Tshering Tobgay.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge will attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony today in his capacity as the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, following consultations with several INDIA bloc leaders. However, the Trinamool Congress, an INDIA Bloc partner, will not attend the ceremony.

Outgoing Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Roads and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari are expected to retain their portfolios. Nirmala Sitharaman and Dr S Jaishankar, both Rajya Sabha MPs, are also likely to keep their positions.

Among other allies, Chirag Paswan of LJP (Ram Vilas), HD Kumaraswamy of JDS, Anupriya Patel of Apna Dal (Sonelal), Jayant Chaudhary of RLD, and Jitan Ram Manjhi of Hindustani Awam Morcha are anticipated to receive ministerial berths. Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena may be represented by Buldhana MP Prataprao Jadhav, and Ramdas Athawale, Rajya Sabha MP and chief of the BJP’s long-term ally Republic Party of India (A), is also set to become a minister.

Former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Madhya Pradesh leaders Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Jyotiraditya Scindia might be appointed as ministers. BJP leaders from the Northeast, Sarbananda Sonowal and Kiren Rijiju, are expected to return as ministers, along with other names such as G Kishan Reddy, Shobha Karandlaje, BL Verma, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, and Nityanand Rai.

After two terms with an absolute majority, the BJP has fallen short of the magic number this time, ending with 240 seats. This has elevated Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar to the roles of kingmakers. Both seasoned in coalition politics, they have strengthened their bargaining positions given the BJP’s reduced tally.

BJP, according to sources, have stated that they will not relinquish control over the four crucial portfolios in the cabinet committee on security: Home, Defence, Finance, and External Affairs. Nitin Gadkari, credited for the acclaimed road connectivity expansions in Modi 1.0 and Modi 2.0, is expected to maintain his role.

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The TDP, which won 16 seats, and the JDU, which secured 12, have reportedly demanded significant central roles. The announcement of Modi’s new team will confirm whether these demands have been met.

From the JDU, former party chief Rajiv Ranjan Singh and Rajya Sabha MP and former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur’s son, Ram Nath Thakur, might receive ministerial posts. TDP MPs Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani and Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu are also set to become ministers in Modi 3.0, according to party leader Jay Galla’s announcement on X.