BJP Finalises New National Team: Sources

A meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence on Wednesday evening has led to indications in Bharatiya Janata Party circles that the long-awaited new national team has been finalised. Party sources confirmed that besides the Prime Minister, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president Jagat Prakash Nadda, and BJP general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh attended the meeting.

The delay in finalising the list was attributed to PM Modi's hectic travel schedule, sources said. While other key issues, including the Ram Mandir donation controversy and the upcoming Parliament session, may have been discussed, the primary focus was on organisational reshuffling. Party leaders said an announcement regarding the new team is expected before the Monsoon session begins on Monday, adding that they have their 'fingers crossed'.

In a separate development, during a press briefing on the Union Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that mementos would be given to mediapersons to commemorate India's ambitious project to manufacture semiconductor chips indigenously. Vaishnaw stated that semiconductor chips are the foundation for futuristic technological development in sectors such as telecommunications and defence, and that this moment in India's history deserved to be remembered.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress MPs Saugata Roy and Sagarika Ghose will be occupied from Sunday as Parliament's Monsoon session begins on Monday. While other party MPs will be in Kolkata to attend the July 21 Martyrs' Day programme, Ghose and Roy have been directed to attend Sunday's all-party meeting and, the next day, participate in the Congress Janata Party (CJP) march supporting statehood for Jammu and Kashmir. The two MPs have also been instructed to be on standby for any Business Advisory Council (BAC) meeting that the government may convene.