Amit Shah, ex-Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar to be part of Modi cabinet 2.0

The news of Shah joining the Cabinet came from Gujarat BJP chief Jitu Vaghani, who tweeted a congratulatory message.

"Had a courtesy meeting with our mentor Amit Shah and gave my best wishes to him on his inclusion as a strong member of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's council of ministers," he tweeted.

This is the first time Shah will be in the Modi government at the Centre. Shah has been the Home minister in Gujarat when Modi was the state chief minister. 

Meanwhile, speculation is rife over who would succeed Shah as BJP president, with the names of J P Nadda being seen as a possible choice. Some other names are also being talked about for the post including Bhupender Yadav

Shah was part of a meeting Modi held at his residence at 4.30 pm with the MPs selected for ministerial berths.

There have been indications that senior leader Sushma Swaraj and Rajnath Singh may also join Modi's new cabinet.

Modi will be sworn in as prime minister for a second consecutive term at a glittering ceremony at 7 PM at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Sources said Dharmendra Pradhan, Smriti Irani, Sadananda Gowda, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Giriraj Singh, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Thawarchand Gehlot, Dilip Ghosh, Jitendra Singh, Mansukh Mandaviya and Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank are also likely to be part of the Union council of ministers.

UPDATE: Mahendra Nath Pandey, Arjun Munda, Anurag Thakur likely to be inducted into Union Cabinet, according to sources

Among some of the new faces that are likely to be inducted include Prahlad Patel from Madhya Pradesh, Kailash Chowdhry from Rajasthan, Krishna Reddy from Telangana and Suresh Angedi from Karnataka and Raosaheb Danve from Maharashtra.

Three newly elected MPs from Karnataka will be taking oath as members of Union Council of ministers.

Besides Gowda, Pralhad Joshi, a four-time MP from Dharwad and Suresh Angadi, four-time MP from Belgaum, are also expected to take oath.

Among allies, Ram Vilas Paswan of the LJP, Arvind Sawant of Shiv Sena, Harsimrat Kaur Badal of Akali Dal and Ramdas Athawale of RPI(A) are likely to take oath, official sources said.

The sources said the Modi government is likely to showcase the party's newfound strength in different regions.

BJP allies like Shiv Sena, JD(U), AIADMK, LJP, Akali Dal and Apna Dal are set to be represented in the government.

The Shiv Sena has confirmed its leader Arvind Sawant, who defeated Congress heavyweight Milind Deora from Mumbai, will be its nominee in the council of ministers.

The Apna Dal's Anupriya Patel is likely to be in the council of ministers.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's decision to opt out on health grounds has fuelled speculation about who will get his coveted portfolio. Railway Minister Goyal, who filled in for Jaitley and presented the populist pre-election budget, is being seen as a key contender. There is also speculation that BJP president Amit Shah may join the government.

The BJP has refrained from making any official comment about the likely members of the government, with its leaders asserting that it is the prime minister's prerogative.

The swearing-in ceremony in the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan is expected to be grand affair with more than 6,000 guests, including leaders from the BIMSTEC countries, opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, chief ministers, corporate honchos and film stars set to be in attendance as President Ram Nath Kovind administers the oath of office and secrecy to 68-year-old Modi and his ministerial colleagues.