Narendra Modi is all set to be elected as leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party and the NDA grouping on Tuesday, ahead of his being called to form the government by the President.

Modi will meet President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday after his election in the first formal step before he is sworn in as Prime Minister probably by the weekend.

A number of names of top BJP leaders including Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Nitin Gadkari, Murli Manohar Joshi and Venkaiah Naidu were doing the rounds for possible inclusion in Modi’s Cabinet.

Besides, some leaders belonging to allies like Shiv Sena, TDP, Akali Dal and LJP may also be included.

The 282 newly-elected Lok Sabha members of BJP along with its Rajya Sabha members will assemble in the Central Hall of Parliament around noon to elect the 63-year-old Modi as their leader.

Shortly later, they will be joined by their counterparts from the allies who will elect Modi as the leader of the NDA coalition.

A delegation of the coalition will call on the President later in the day to convey to him the decision of the two Parliamentary groups that will pave the way for President to invite Modi and ask him to form the government.

For the third day in succession, hectic discussions were on regarding government formation with Modi himself receiving leaders.

For the first time since the results were declared, Swaraj called on Modi in Gujarat Bhawan, the nerve-centre of activities these days.

Close aides Jaitley and Amit Shah, besides Kalyan Singh met the Prime Minister to-be separately.

Vaiko, an ally of BJP in Tamil Nadu, who lost the election also met Modi, while YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy also called on him and extended “issue based” support to his government.

Sources claim that Modi kept to himself the strategy over his Cabinet formation.

After Tuesday’s election, Modi will go to Ahmedabad in the evening.

On 21st May, he will resign as Chief Minister and a new leader of the Gujarat BJP Legislature Party will be elected to succeed him in the state.

HECTIC PARLEYS ON AS BJP DELIBERATES ON CABINET FORMATION

Hectic meetings went on in the BJP camp Monday, as prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi held talks with party leaders over the formation of his cabinet.

Aspirants of ministerial posts and newly-elected Lok Sabha members of the party met BJP president Rajnath Singh and RSS leaders.

Modi held discussions with his close aide and BJP general secretary Amit Shah and senior party leader Arun Jaitley, and met some other leaders from the party, as BJP leaders were also seen making a beeline to the RSS office, the Keshav Kunj, here.

While both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh said the party ideological fountainhead will have no role in deciding the cabinet, several BJP leaders held deliberations at the Delhi RSS headquarters. They included Shah and Jaitley.

A series of meetings also took place at Rajnath Singh’s residence where Sushma Swaraj, Uma Bharti, Gopinath Munde, Yogi Adityanath, Varun Gandhi and several newly-elected MPs called on him.

Columnist and author Arun Shourie, who was disinvestment minister in the last NDA government, also met Rajnath Singh.

Sources from the party said Shourie’s name has emerged for the post of finance minister, even as Jaitley’s name was also making rounds for that post so far.

While Sushma Swaraj’s name was initially making rounds for the external affairs ministry, sources from the party say there are talks of giving her some other ministry.

Rajnath Singh, who initially insisted he would stick to his post, is interested in the home ministry portfolio. Sources from the party say he will get one of the four key ministries – home, finance, external affairs and defence – either now or some time later.

Nitin Gadkari is another BJP leader certain to find a place in Modi’s cabinet.

While Delhi leader Harsh Vardhan is set to get the health ministry, Sumitra Mahajan may get rural development.

Meanwhile, former home secretary R.K. Singh, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Udit Raj, Manoj Tiwari and party leader Vinay Katiyar were seen at the RSS office where they met senior functionaries.

The BJP won the Lok Sabha elections with a thumping majority, getting 282 seats.