Shiv Sena's Arvind Sawant to take oath as minister in PM Modi's Cabinet today

Shiv Sena MP from Mumbai South, Arvind Sawant, will be sworn in as Union minister on Thursday, senior party leader Sanjay Raut said. Sawant will replace Anant Geete, the lone Sena minister in the previous Narendra Modi-led government, who lost from the Raigad Lok Sabha seat in last month's election. Sawant, 68, who retained his seat by defeating Congress' Milind Deora by 1,00,067 votes, has been associated with the Shiv Sena since the party's early years.

He was elected as MLC from the Mumbai Local bodies constituency. He contested the Lok Sabha election for the first time in 2014, defeating Deora, then an MP, from the Mumbai South seat by 1,28,564 votes. Sawant is a deputy leader of the Shiv Sena, and the president of the MTNL Trade Union.

“It is decided that there will be one minister from each ally. Arvind Sawant is Shiv Sena’s pick for minister post in PM Modi’s government,” Sanjay Raut said, according to ANI.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and other elected MPs will be sworn-in to the government at a big ceremony on Thursday evening at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Over 8,000 guests, including a number of heads of states, heads of governments, constitutional authorities, diplomats, senior political leaders, government officials and media persons are expected to attend the grand ceremony in the national capital with elaborate security arrangements put in place. 

The swearing-in-ceremony of Modi and his Council of Ministers is scheduled to take place at 7 pm at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.Chief ministers of several states have also been invited while Opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi will also be attending the oath-taking ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

(With agency inputs)