June 9th 2024.
New Delhi: On a sunny Sunday morning, the grand Rashtrapati Bhavan was buzzing with excitement as Narendra Modi took his oath as the prime minister for the third time. Along with him, a strong and experienced Cabinet, including prominent BJP leaders like Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, and S Jaishankar, also took their oaths as cabinet ministers. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath to Modi and 30 other ministers, all dressed in crisp formal attire.
Modi, who is known for his signature white kurta and blue jacket, took the oath in the name of God, just like he had done in his previous terms. This marked him as only the second prime minister, after Jawaharlal Nehru, to secure a third consecutive term. However, this time, the BJP was unable to secure a simple majority in the Lok Sabha elections, making them dependent on their allies to form the government.
In a show of unity and gratitude, leaders from the BJP's allies also took their oaths as cabinet ministers, including JD leader H D Kumaraswamy and HAM chief Jitan Ram Manjhi, among others. Each of these allies received one cabinet berth, with Kumaraswamy and Manjhi being former chief ministers of Karnataka and Bihar, respectively.
Some fresh faces were also seen in the Modi 2.0 Cabinet, including BJP Party president J P Nadda, former chief ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Manohar Lal Khattar, and other BJP leaders like Piyush Goyal, Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Dharmendra Pradhan.
The swearing-in ceremony was a grand affair, with prominent personalities like Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, and Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud in attendance. Bollywood actors Shahrukh Khan and Rajinikanth, and industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani were also present to witness the historic event.
Modi, who had a brief interaction with the minister-designates before the ceremony, reminded them of the huge expectations people have from them and the need to deliver on those expectations. He also stressed the importance of humility and integrity, urging the ministers to never compromise on these values.
The event was also graced by the presence of leaders from India's neighboring countries and the Indian Ocean region, including the President of Maldives, Prime Ministers of Bangladesh, Nepal, Mauritius, and Bhutan, and the Vice-President of Seychelles. In addition to political leaders and eminent personalities from various fields, members from the transgender community, sanitation workers, and laborers who helped build the new parliament building were also invited to attend the ceremony.
Overall, nearly 9,000 people were estimated to have been present at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, making the event a grand and historic one. Despite not securing a massive mandate, Modi's third term as prime minister is a testament to his strong political presence and the success of the National Democratic Alliance, which won 293 seats out of 543. This feat, as noted by Modi, is the biggest victory for any pre-poll alliance when a single party did not secure a majority.
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