Cabinet reshuffle: No talks yet on joining Modi Cabinet, says Nitish Kumar

Andhra BJP chief K Hari Babu and Gujarat MP Shankar Bhai Begad may join Modi Cabinet

A day ahead of Sunday's reshuffle and expansion of the Union Council of Ministers headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bihar's ruling JD-U said it is yet to get an invitation to join the BJP-led NDA government.

Janata Dal-United President and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday told the media here that his party is yet to get an invitation to join the Union Council of Ministers. "We have learnt about the JD-U's entry into the Union Council of Ministers through the media. We have not received any proposal so far," Nitish Kumar said.

The Chief Minister said if his party gets any proposal to join, then he will take a call.

According to JD-U leaders, the party is hopeful that two of its nominees would be inducted into the ministry.

Interestingly, since last week the names of a few JD-U MPs were doing the rounds for likely induction into the Union Council of Ministers.

Local Hindi dailies have reported that JD-U Rajya Sabha MP R.C.P. Singh, considered close to Nitish Kumar, will be the new Union Railway Minister. Besides, the names of state JD-U president and party Rajya Sabha MP Vashisht Narain Singh, party Lok Sabha MP from Purnea parliamentary constituency Santosh Kushwaha and party MP from Nalanda parliamentary constituency Kaushalender Kumar were also doing the rounds as likely to be inducted into the ministry.