Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sworn in on Saturday, accompanied by 72 ministers forming the new coalition government. Among them, 30 are Cabinet Ministers, five hold independent charge, and 36 serve as Ministers of State. The portfolios will be announced later.
At 73, PM Modi is embarking on his third term, known as “Modi 3.0,” and will lead a coalition government for the first time since becoming Prime Minister in 2014.
His initial ascent to the position followed a resounding victory for “Brand Modi” after a decade of United Progressive Alliance (UPA) rule. Modi is now the second Prime Minister, after Jawaharlal Nehru, to be elected for three consecutive terms. He secured his Lok Sabha seat from Varanasi with a margin of 1.5 lakh votes, narrower than the 4.6 lakh lead in the 2019 election.
The oath-taking ceremony, held on the lawns of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, took place under a scorching forecast of 42 degrees Celsius in the national capital. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath to PM Modi. Following him, Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, and Nitin Gadkari were sworn in. Other prominent leaders such as JP Nadda, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Nirmala Sitharaman, S Jaishankar, and Manohar Lal Khattar also took the oath.
HD Kumaraswamy of the Janata Dal (Secular) was the first leader from the BJP’s allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to take the oath, followed by Janata Dal (United) leader Lalan Singh. Sarbananda Sonowal was the first leader from the northeast to be sworn in today.
The ceremony saw attendance from notable leaders from India’s neighboring regions, including Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
