Performance key to find a place in Modi cabinet

After single-handedly helping the BJP win a massive mandate, the next task awaiting Narendra Modi, who became the Prime Minister-elect late on Saturday, is to pick the members of his new cabinet.

Modi gave hints about his plan of action when he cautioned the newly elected lawmakers at the central hall in Parliament not to hazard a guess on the cabinet composition of the new government.

"Several Narendra Modis have been born in this country and they have already constituted the council of ministers," he said. "All those who have won are mine. The government will be constituted by only those who have earned the responsibility. Ministers are neither appointed nor shunted because of newspapers reports."

Going by the buzzword of "performance", several ministers of the previous cabinet are unlikely to hold on to their positions this time.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad who kept themselves to their work and did not try to hog the limelight are expected to be picked again. A difficult choice for Modi though would be to choose the finance minister as Arun Jaitley is ailing.

There is a strong possibility that Sakshi Maharaj and Giriraj Singh could be dropped as their strong anti-minority views may not fit Modi's new scheme of things. Better berths can be expected for Gen VK Singh and Jayant Sinha.