Will Amit Shah be part of Modi Cabinet? Here is what our sources are saying

New Delhi, May 29: Narendra Modi is all set to take oath as the Prime Minister of India for the second time. Even as arrangements are being made for the oath taking ceremony, there is still no clarity on when the council of ministers would be sworn in or who would be part of the Cabinet.

There is speculation rife that BJP President Amit Shah may make the cut. Since the day the results were out on May 23, reports have suggested that Shah may get either the Home of Finance portfolio.
The Modi Sarkar 2.0 would give a lot of emphasis to MPs who have won from the states of Telangana and West Bengal. The party had made impressive inroads in these two states on its own and hence the MPs would be rewarded, sources tell OneIndia.

With regard to Amit Shah, there is still no clarity as yet about his posting. Many within the party are of the view that Shah should stick on as party chief until the elections in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand are over. Winning big in these states would be crucial for the party taking into consideration its numbers in the Rajya Sabha.

BJP's floor managers in the Upper House are confident of putting up a good show in the Assembly polls, going by the party's huge victory in the Lok Sabha polls in these states and are confident of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) crossing the majority mark of 124 in the Rajya Sabha.

The saffron party is currently in power in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand.

As many as 10 Rajya Sabha seats will fall vacant in Uttar Pradesh in 2020 and the BJP's huge majority in the state means it can win nine of those.

If the number of seats from its allies like the JD(U) in Bihar, the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu and the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra is added, the ruling alliance may cross the majority mark of 124 seats in 2021.

Many non-NDA, non-UPA parties like the BJD, the TRS and the YSRCP have supported the ruling dispensation on several crucial bills.

The majority in the Upper House will be a big boost for the Narendra Modi-led government as its contentious bills to abolish "triple talaq" and amend the Citizenship Act got stuck in the Rajya Sabha.

Members of the Sangh too are keen that Shah continues as the party chief until the assembly elections are over. There is also trouble in Karnataka for the JD(S)-Congress government and the BJP feels that a spate of resignations are likely to lead to the collapse of the government.

In this event, the House strength would come down and the BJP would be in a position to form the government. However, the top brass of the party feels that such a scenario could force another election and that could be held in November. Karnataka is a crucial state for the BJP, where it put up a stellar performance in the Lok Sabha elections. In the event of another election to the assembly, the presence of Shah as the party chief would be extremely crucial. Hence it is unlikely at least for now that he would take up a top post in the Cabinet.