Senior leaders meet Narendra Modi; Nadda likely to replace Rajnath Singh as BJP chief

Ahead of Cabinet formation, BJP general secretary Jagat Prakash Nadda met Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi at Gujarat Bhawan in Chanakyapuri.

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Amidst hectic parleys over the Cabinet formation, several senior BJP leaders on Saturday met Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi and party chief Rajnath Singh. The new NDA government will take charge on Monday. BJP general secretary Jagat Prakash Nadda, Amit Shah, senior leader Uma Bharti met Modi at Gujarat Bhawan here in Chanakyapuri. Nadda has emerged as favourite to assume the post of BJP chief if incumbent Rajnath Singh joins the Modi government, a report has said. A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) central leader said Nadda, the Rajya Sabha MP from Himachal Pradesh, is known for his close proximity to Amit Shah, another party general secretary and a close confidante of Modi, and former party president Nitin Gadkari. "Nadda is emerging as the best choice as he suits both the party top leadership and the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh)," a senior party leader told a news agency today in Shimla. Also Read: JP Nadda front-runner for BJP president`s post Shah later met Rajnath Singh. Senior party leader and former party chief M Venkaiah Naidu reached Gujarat Bhawan a little later. Uma Bharti, who won from Jhansi Lok Sabha seat, also met Modi. Republican Party of India (RPI) chief Ramdas Athawale also met Modi. He has already gone on record hoping to get a berth in the Modi Cabinet. There was a steady stream of visitors at Rajnath Singh`s Ashoka Road residence also. Prominent among those who met the BJP chief were party MPs Maneka Gandhi and Udit Raj and senior Delhi unit leader and Rajya Sabha member Vijay Goel. Former Union minister in the NDA government ID Swamy also met Singh. BJP general secretary Ram Lal also met the party chief. Meanwhile, Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu also met Singh in Delhi today. He is scheduled to meet Modi and other top BJP leaders on Sunday to decide on the Union Cabinet berths for his party MPs. Preparations for formation of government have gained momentum with top BJP leaders engaged in a series of confabulations ahead of Modi`s swearing-in on Monday. (With PTI inputs)