PM Narendra Modi takes oath for historic third term: key highlights from swearing-in ceremony

Narendra Modi, the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was sworn in as the Prime Minister of India for a record third time on Sunday. The ceremony took place at Rashtrapati Bhavan, days after the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured 293 seats out of 543 in the Lok Sabha polls. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath to Modi at 7:25 pm.

Modi's third consecutive term as Prime Minister marks a historic milestone, equaling the legacy of Jawaharlal Nehru, who won the 1952, 1957, and 1962 general elections.

#WATCH | Narendra Modi takes oath for the third straight term as the Prime Minister pic.twitter.com/Aubqsn03vF

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose a white kurta and churidar with a blue chequered jacket for the oath ceremony, paired with black shoes. For his 2014 and 2019 swearing-in ceremonies, Modi had worn a cream linen kurta-pyjama with a beige golden jacket and a similar dress paired with a beige jacket, respectively. Modi is known for his preference for kurtas and bandhgala jackets on important occasions, as well as flamboyant and colorful turbans during Independence Day and Republic Day celebrations.

PM Modi govt 3.0 council of ministers

Following Modi, Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah took their oaths, with Nitin Gadkari being the fourth leader to be administered the oath of office by the President. JP Nadda, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Nirmala Sitharaman, S Jaishankar, and Manohar Lal Khattar also took their oaths.

HD Kumaraswamy of the Janata Dal (Secular), who took the oath after Khattar, was the first leader from any of the BJP's allies in the NDA to take the oath. Janata Dal (United) leader Lalan Singh, a close aide of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, also took the oath shortly after.

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Sarbananda Sonowal was the first leader from the northeast to take the oath, followed by Kiren Rijiju. Virendra Kumar, a prominent Scheduled Castes face of the BJP and eight-time MP, was also inducted into the Narendra Modi government, winning the election from Madhya Pradesh's Tikamgarh reserved seat.

Seven former chief ministers, including Narendra Modi, are part of the new council of ministers sworn in on Sunday. The other six former chief ministers are Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh), Rajnath Singh (Uttar Pradesh), Manohar Lal Khattar (Haryana), Sarbananda Sonowal (Assam), HD Kumaraswamy (Karnataka), and Jitan Ram Manjhi (Bihar). While five of these former chief ministers are from the BJP, Kumaraswamy and Manjhi represent BJP's allies JD(S) and Hindustani Awam Morcha, respectively.

The full list of the new council of ministers includes Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, JP Nadda, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Nirmala Sitharaman, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Manohar Lal Khattar, JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy, Piyush Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan, HAM leader Jitan Ram Manjhi, JD(U) leader Lalan Singh, Sarbananda Sonowal, Virendra Kumar, TDP leader Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, Prahlad Joshi, Jual Oram, Giriraj Singh, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Bhupendra Yadav, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Annpurna Devi, Kiren Rijiju, Hardeep Singh Puri, and Mansukh Mandaviya.

A total of 30 Cabinet ministers, 36 Ministers of State, and 5 Ministers of State with independent charge were present for the oath-taking ceremony along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Prominent figures at the oath ceremony

Prominent leaders from neighboring countries and the Indian Ocean region, including Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, graced the event. Bangladesh Prime Minister , Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, and Vice-President of Seychelles Ahmed Afif also attended.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan added a touch of glamour to the event, arriving with his manager Pooja Dadlani in his signature black attire and ponytail look. Rajinikanth, who flew in from Chennai, called it a "very historic event," and actor Anupam Kher expressed his excitement about attending the swearing-in ceremony for the third time.

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Actress-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut looked regal in an ivory and gold saree, sharing her look details on Instagram. Other celebrities, including Anil Kapoor, Raveena Tandon, Vikrant Massey, and director Rajkumar Hirani, were also present.

Earlier in the day, Modi paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Sadaiv Atal. He also offered respects at the National War Memorial, commemorating soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country. Supporters gathered in large numbers as Modi visited these monuments.

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