New Delhi: BJP national president Amit Shah, who won his Gandhinagar seat with an overwhelming majority of over five lakh votes in the Lok Sabha polls, is all set to get a key portfolio in the new National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.
If the 54-year-old BJP chief joins Modi's council of ministers, he would be the second-in command. Shah, who was earlier the home minister in Gujarat, is likely to get the same portfolio at the Centre too. The BJP president has been a close aide of Narendra Modi since they started working in Gujarat as party workers in 1990s.
After the NDA stormed into power with a thumping victory in Lok Sabha polls on Thursday, the focus has now shifted on to who would get the key portfolios of finance, defence, home and external affairs.
The new government’s first major policy decisions would be presented in its budget. However, it was not clear if Arun Jaitley would continue to hold the finance portfolio.
Ill-health had even prevented Jaitley from campaigning. If he opts out, then Piyush Goyal is likely to be picked up.
If Amit Shah gets home ministry, then Rajnath Singh would have to be given another portfolio. He might then get the defence ministry.
Union minister Sushma Swaraj had refused to contest in the polls. However, Sushma might continue to head the external affairs ministry. To ensure this, she would be made a Rajya Sabha MP. Three Rajya Sabha MPs - Amit Shah, Smriti Irani and Ravi Shankar Prasad - have been elected to the Lok Sabha. Sushma could be given one of these RS seats.
Smriti Irani, who unseated Rahul Gandhi at Amethi in one of the most significant victories for the NDA, is now being dubbed as 'giant killer'.
Modi might reward her with a key portfolio for the upset victory. She might be even considered for the Lok Sabha speaker post.
Kummanam to be minister?
Five Union ministers were defeated in the LS polls - Alphons Kannanthanam (Ernakulam), Hardeep Puri (Amritsar), Manoj Sinha (Ghazipur), Pon Radhakrishnan (Kanyakumari) and Anant Geete (Raigad). It was not known if Kannanthanam would be considered again.
Though former Kerala BJP chief Kummanam Rajasekharan had lost to Congress leader Shashi Tharoor in Thiruvananthapuram, he might be made a minister.
The NDA was able to win 39 of the 40 seats in Bihar. Therefore, Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (U) and Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti parties are likely to get more ministers.