New Delhi - On Sunday, Narendra Modi was sworn in as the Prime Minister of India for a historic third consecutive term. The ceremony, held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi, was administered by President Droupadi Murmu. Following Modi's oath, senior BJP leaders including Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, JP Nadda, and others also took their oaths as Cabinet ministers.
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), under Modi's leadership, will form the government at the Centre for the third consecutive time. This achievement marks Modi as the only leader after former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to be elected for three consecutive terms, each following a full tenure.
In preparation for the ceremony, Delhi saw the deployment of around 1,100 traffic police personnel, and a public advisory was issued regarding traffic movement. Special route arrangements were made for the delegates attending the event on June 9, 2024.
Reflecting India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy, several leaders and state heads from neighboring regions and the Indian Ocean region were invited as distinguished guests. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced that the President of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe; President of Maldives, Mohamed Muizzu; Vice-President of Seychelles, Ahmed Afif; Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina; Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth; Prime Minister of Nepal, Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'; and Prime Minister of Bhutan, Tshering Tobgay, accepted the invitation to attend. More than 250 workers involved in the construction of the Parliament were also present.
The MEA highlighted the significance of the event, stating that the leaders' visit to attend Modi's swearing-in ceremony underscores the highest priority given by India to its 'Neighbourhood First' policy and 'SAGAR' vision. These leaders also attended a banquet hosted by President Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan later that evening. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge was also in attendance.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP secured 240 seats, with the NDA obtaining a total of 293 seats out of 543 in the lower house. The Congress, part of the INDIA bloc, secured 99 seats, while other parties like Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, and DMK won 37, 29, and 22 seats respectively.