Narendra Modi was sworn-in as Prime Minister for an unprecedented third term on Sunday, leading a Cabinet that prioritizes both stability and seasoned leadership while also acknowledging coalition partners within the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.
Alongside Modi, notable BJP figures such as Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, and S Jaishankar—each of whom served in Modi's previous Cabinet—were sworn in as ministers at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of secrecy and office to Modi and 30 other Cabinet ministers.
Modi, 73, dressed in a white kurta and churidar paired with a blue checked jacket, took the oath in the name of God. He joins Jawaharlal Nehru as only the second Prime Minister to secure a third consecutive term. In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the BJP did not achieve a simple majority and thus relied on allies whose MPs were also sworn in as Cabinet ministers.
These allies include JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, HAM (Secular) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi, JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan', TDP's K Ram Mohan Naidu, and LJP-RV leader Chirag Paswan, each receiving one cabinet position. Notably, Kumaraswamy and Manjhi are former Chief Ministers of Karnataka and Bihar, respectively.
BJP Party President J P Nadda rejoined the Cabinet after a five-year hiatus, while former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and ex-Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar were introduced as new faces in Modi's team. BJP leaders Piyush Goyal, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Dharmendra Pradhan, and Bhupender Yadav, previously in the Rajya Sabha and now elected to the Lok Sabha, were among those retained as ministers.
Other BJP ministers sworn in included former Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Virendra Kumar, Pralhad Joshi, Giriraj Singh, Jual Oram, Gujarat BJP President C R Paatil, Mansukh Mandaviya, G Kishan Reddy, Hardeep Singh Puri, Kiren Rijiju, Annapurna Devi, and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
Congress President and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, attended the ceremony, though several opposition leaders did not. Prior to the oath-taking, Modi held a motivational meeting with the incoming ministers, emphasizing the need to meet public expectations, maintain humility, and uphold transparency and integrity.
Distinguished attendees included Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, TDP President Chandrababu Naidu, and JD(U) Chief Nitish Kumar. The event also saw the presence of Bollywood stars Shahrukh Khan and Rajinikanth, as well as industrial magnates Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani.
Despite the BJP's strong position, the party did not achieve the sweeping victory it anticipated, with the Congress and its allies in the INDIA bloc mounting significant challenges in strongholds like Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Nevertheless, the BJP's tally of 240 seats, the third-highest in its history, is viewed by its supporters as underwhelming and by the Congress as a moral victory, given their own tally of 99 seats.
The NDA secured 293 seats out of 543, a notable achievement for a pre-poll alliance where no single party held a majority. Distinguished guests from neighboring countries and the Indian Ocean region, including leaders from Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Bhutan, and Seychelles, attended the event.
The swearing-in ceremony was also graced by members of the transgender community, sanitation workers, and laborers involved in constructing the new parliament building, highlighting inclusivity. An estimated 9,000 attendees filled the forecourts of the Rashtrapati Bhavan for this grand occasion.
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