2.17 pm: The swearing-in ceremony has concluded.
2.05 pm: BJP leader Jayant Sinha and Olympic medallist Rajyavardhan Rathore have taken oath as Ministers of State. BJP MP Babul Supriyo also took oath, becoming the first representative from West Bengal in Modi's council of ministers.
1.50 pm: BJP leaders Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi have taken oath as Ministers of State.
1.40 pm: JP Nadda was the third cabinet minister to take oath after Manohar Parrikar and Suresh Prabhu. He was followed by Birender Singh. The four are the new joinees in Modi's cabinet.
1.35 pm: The swearing-in ceremony has begun. Manohar Parrikar is the first to take oath as the cabinet minister.
Shiv Sena's Suresh Prabhu has also taken oath.
1.30 pm: The oath-taking ceremony is set to begin at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. While the Shiv Sena was expected to participate in the event, following BJP President Amit Shah's call to Uddhav Thackeray, the party will reportedly stay away from the ceremony. The Sena has also reportedly asked Anil Desai to return from Delhi.
12.45 pm: Days after former Goa CM Manohar Parrikar was virtually announced as the new Defence Minister ever since his Delhi visit earlier this week, there are now reports suggesting that he could be given the Home Ministry instead, while current Home Minister Rajnath Singh may be shifted to the Defence Ministry.
12.30 pm: Shiv Sena is expected to participate in the cabinet expansion today and its Rajya Sabha MP ANil Desai is already on his way to Delhi. Shiv Sena's Suresh Prabhu is now expected to become an advisor to the government, after speculations that he will become the Railway Minister.
12.05 pm: Reports suggest that Rajiv Pratap Rudy is set to take oath as Minister of State with independent charge.
"Received an invite from Cabinet Secretariat for swearing-in, was informed I'll be inducted in PM's cabinet on independent charge," Rudy was quoted saying by ANI.
10.10 am: PM Modi is hosting ministers to be inducted soon, for tea at his 7 Race Course Road residence. Among those who have already arrived include BJP leaders Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Giriraj Singh, Vijay Sampla, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Jayant Sinha and Babul Supriyo, according to reports.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to expand his 45-member team with at least 20 ministers expected to be inducted, including four in the Cabinet, all of whom will take oath at an official ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday at 1:30pm.
The number could go up to 22, as four ministers are slated to be inducted into the Union cabinet, 15 as ministers of state, while three may take oath as ministers of state with independent charge.
A majority of the new inductees will be from the Bharatiya Janata Party itself, with all eyes on former Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, who is expected to take charge as Defence Minister.
Shiv Sena's Suresh Prabhu is touted to become the new Railway Minister, a portfolio held by Sadananda Gowda. There have been enough speculations over how many members from the Shiv Sena, BJP's estranged ally in Maharashtra, will be part of the expansion.
The party's Rajya Sabha MP Anil Desai's name is also doing the rounds.
Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitaraman could also be elevated as a cabinet minister, and Yashwant Sinha's son Jayant Sinha may be inducted as a junior minister to Arun Jaitley in the finance ministry.
The other probabales in Modi's team include BJP vice-president Mukhtar Naqvi and Maharashtra MP Hansraj Ahir, who is likely to be named the new coal minister with the rank of minister of state (independent charge).
Former RJD leader Ram Kripal Yadav, dalit leader Vijay Sampla from Punjab and Olympic silver medallist Rajyavardhan Rathore, a first-time MP from Rajasthan, are expected to be among the new faces in the council of ministers.
BJP MP Babul Supriyo could be the sole inductee from West Bengal.
