Narendra Damodardas Modi was sworn in as the Prime Minister for the second time at a grand and star-studded ceremony in the sprawling forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on Thursday evening.
Modi became the first non-Congress Prime Minister to have won a second consecutive term in office after the Bharatiya Janata Party won a massive mandate by bagging 303 seats on its own in the just concluded elections for the 17th Lok Sabha. Modi becomes the 15th Prime Minister of the world’s largest democracy, heading the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government for the second time in a row.
Next to take oath of office after Modi was Rajnath Singh followed by BJP president Amit Shah. Next in line were Nitin Gadkari, D.V. Sadanand Gowda, Nirmala Sitharaman and Ram Vilas Paswan of NDA’s constituent Lok Janshakti Party (LJP).
Former foreign secretary Dr.S. Jaishankar also made it to the cabinet in absence of former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.
Piyush Goyal, known for pro-reforms image and credited with rural electrification, was sworn in as a cabinet minister and so was Mukhtar Abas Naqvi, the minority face of the BJP.
Smriti Irani, who humbled Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, was among those who were sworn in as cabinet minister. She held the portfolio of human resource development, information and broadcasting and textiles in the outgoing government.
Two BJP leaders from Odisha were inducted into Modi’s team. Dharmendra Pradhan, who held the prized portfolio of petroleum and natural gas and skill development and entrepreneurship in the last government, was sworn in as cabinet minister. On the other hand, Pratap Sarangi, who won from Balasore Lok Sabha constituency, took oath as a minister of state.
The glittering ceremony was witnessed by a galaxy of leaders, diplomats, industrialists and prominent personalities from various fields. BIMSTEC leaders witnessed the ceremony as they were specially invited as part of the Modi government’s “Neighbourhood First’’ initiative.
Attired in his sharp churidar-kurta and a light pista color jacket, Modi arrived at the forecourt just moments before the swearing in ceremony began and greeted the distinguished gathering. After President Ram Nath Kovind administered him the oath of office and secrecy, Modi bowed with folded hands before the gathering.
Surrounded by about 8,000 guests, including heads of state and prime ministers from BIMSTEC countries, the ceremony was seen as a show of determination to help re-establish world’s largest democracy as a key player on the global arena as well as in the region. (UNI)
