Narendra Modi takes oath as Prime Minister for the third time

Narendra Modi was sworn in as the Prime Minister for the third consecutive term on Sunday, a remarkable achievement, making him only the second individual in India to accomplish the feat after Jawaharlal Nehru’s successive wins in the 1952, 1957, and 1962 elections.

Before the inauguration ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, PM Modi convened with a gathering of NDA leaders, many of whom were likely to assume ministerial roles in the new government. Among them were prominent figures from Modi 2.0 era, including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, Dr. S Jaishankar, Dharmendra Pradhan, Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Piyush Goyal. Also present were BJP stalwarts like Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Jyotiraditya Scindia, JDU leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh, HAM leader Jitan Ram Manjhi, RLD’s Jayant Chaudhary, JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy, LJP (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan, and Jitin Prasada.

Alongside Modi, who took the oath in the name of God, senior BJP leaders Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, and S Jaishankar were also sworn in as cabinet ministers, highlighting Modi’s emphasis on continuity and experience, as they held senior positions in his previous term.

Returning to the cabinet after a five-year hiatus was party president J P Nadda. Fresh faces in the Modi cabinet included former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and ex-Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. BJP leaders Piyush Goyal, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Dharmendra Pradhan, and Bhupender Yadav, who transitioned from the Rajya Sabha to the Lok Sabha, were retained as ministers.

Former Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Virendra Kumar, Pralhad Joshi, Giriraj Singh, and Jual Oram, all from the BJP, were among those sworn in as ministers. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to them.

Modi, 73, first became Prime Minister in 2014 and was re-elected in 2019. He was re-elected to the Lok Sabha from Varanasi.

Among the BJP allies, JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, HAM (Secular) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi, JD(U) leader Lalan Singh, and TDP’s K Ram Mohan Naidu also took the oath of office as ministers. This inclusion underscores the necessity of coalition politics, given that the BJP did not secure a majority on its own in this election.

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Several foreign dignitaries graced the occasion, including Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay, and Seychelles Vice-President Ahmed Afif.

Security measures were heightened in the national capital, with prohibitory orders and traffic restrictions implemented, particularly around Rashtrapati Bhavan.

In the recent elections, the NDA secured 293 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats, surpassing the halfway mark comfortably. The INDIA alliance put up a strong fight, clinching 232 constituencies. The Congress nearly doubled its tally from 52 seats in the 2019 elections to 99 this time.

Despite falling short of the majority mark by 32 seats, the BJP, with 240 seats, remained crucial. There were indications that the party would retain key portfolios like Home, Defence, Finance, and External Affairs in the cabinet committee on security. The development and infrastructure initiatives spearheaded by Nitin Gadkari under Modi 1.0 and 2.0 were likely to continue.

The TDP and JDU, with 16 and 12 seats respectively, were reportedly vying for significant roles in the central government. The final composition of PM Modi’s new team would reveal whether these demands were met. From the JDU, former party chief Rajiv Ranjan Singh and Rajya Sabha MP Ram Nath Thakur were expected to secure ministerial positions. TDP MPs Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani and Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu were also anticipated to be appointed ministers in Modi 3.0.

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