President Ram Nath Kovind appoints Narendra Modi as the new Prime Minister.

President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday appointed Narendra Modi as the new Prime Minister.

Samikhsya Bureau

President Ramnath Kovind on Sunday issued a communication appointing Narendra Modi as Prime Minister.

A Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said: “Exercising powers vested in him under Article 75 (1) of the Constitution of India, President Kovind, today appointed Narendra Modi to the office of Prime Minister of India”.

President also asked Modi to advise him about the names of others to be appointed as members of the Union council of ministers; and indicate the date and time of the swearing-in-ceremony to be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Talking to reporters after meeting the President, Modi said “The mandate this year has brought in new opportunities for the country in more ways than one”. He said he will soon get back to the President with the names of the Council of Ministers and other formalities. He said the massive mandate is also linked to people’s aspiration and that the new government will work sincerely to meet up to that .

Modi met President and staked claim after BJP chief Amit Shah and other NDA leaders handed over a letter of support to President Kovind. An NDA delegation, led by BJP president Amit Shah and comprising Parkash Singh Badal, Rajnath Singh, Nitish Kumar, Ram Vilas Paswan, Sushma Swaraj, Uddhav Thakeray, Nitin Gadkari, K. Palaniswami, Conrad Sangma and Neiphiu Rio, called on the President.

“A letter stating that Modi had been elected leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party was handed over to the President. Letters of support from NDA constituent parties were also handed over to the President,” a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said in New Delhi.