Narendra Modi sworn in as India Prime Minister for third term
Narendra Modi has been sworn in as India’s prime minister for a third term during a grand ceremony at the presidential palace in Delhi.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader took his oath, pledging to “do right to all manner of people without affection or ill-will.”
Modi’s BJP-led National Democratic Alliance secured 293 seats in the general election, a smaller margin than exit polls had predicted.
The election marked a resurgence of India’s opposition, which won 234 seats.
Thousands of guests attended the inauguration at Delhi’s presidential palace, including the leaders of Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, but not Pakistan or China.
Tight security measures were in place in Delhi, with the city declared a no-fly zone and over 2,500 police officers deployed around the venue.
In his speech after being sworn in by President Draupadi Murmu, Modi vowed to uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India and to govern with “true faith and allegiance to the constitution.”
He said: “I will do right to all manner of people in accordance with the constitution and the law without fear or favour.”
A council of ministers in Modi’s new cabinet was also sworn in during the ceremony.
At 73, Modi is only the second Indian leader to win a third consecutive term, following the country’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
Exit polls had predicted an outright victory for his Hindu Nationalist BJP, which has ruled India for a decade, but the party lost its parliamentary majority in the general election.
The NDA bloc relied on two key allies, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Janata Dal (United) JD(U), to surpass the 272-seat threshold needed to form the government.
On Friday, the elected MPs voted Modi as the leader of the Lok Sabha (the lower house of parliament), the BJP parliamentary party, and the NDA.
It is not clear what concessions his allies may have negotiated in return for their support. India media report that several are seeking key ministerial posts.
The opposition INDIA alliance, led by the Congress party, has called the election a mandate against Mr Modi’s government.
Mr Modi, however, countered this on Friday, saying: “Opposition tried to paint 2024 Lok Sabha results as a loss for us. But we didn’t lose, we never lost, we will never lose.”
Mr Modi thanked voters for their mandate, and said he would “do everything” to eradicate corruption and poverty.
“Empowering the poor and middle class is our priority,” he said.
During his election campaign, Modi and his party were accused by critics of using hate speech, targeting the country’s Muslim minority, and imprisoning opposition figures.
On Friday, the prime minister-elect stated that the NDA alliance is “committed to the principle of ‘sarva panth sambhava’ (religious equality).”
The INDIA alliance has pledged to fulfill its duty in parliament by holding the government accountable and protecting the constitution.