NEW DELHI: Narendra Modi is set to take the oath as India’s prime minister for a record-equalling third term today.
Indian President Droupadi Murmu will administer the oath to Narendra Modi and members of the Council of Ministers at Rashtrapati Bhawan, the official residence of the president, at 7:15 pm local time (6:45 pm PST), reported Indian media.
Authorities have bolstered security arrangements in the capital with additional deployment of police, army, and traffic personnel, along with a three-layered security apparatus at the presidential residence. Additionally, Delhi has been declared a “no-fly zone” ahead of the swearing-in ceremony.
For the first time since coming to power in 2014, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) required the support of regional allies, securing 240 constituencies and falling short of the majority of 272. Two key allies in Modi’s National Democratic Alliance coalition, the Telugu Desam Party from Andhra Pradesh and the Janata Dal (United) from Bihar, pledged their support. The alliance collectively won 293 seats in the Lok Sabha, the 543-member lower house of parliament.
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi, Modi’s chief rival and Congress leader, was nominated on Saturday to lead India’s opposition in parliament. This follows an election result that significantly boosted his party’s representation, nearly doubling their parliamentary numbers, marking their best result since Modi’s initial rise to power a decade ago.
A Congress leadership meeting unanimously recommended Gandhi’s election as India’s official opposition leader, a position vacant since 2014. “All participants unanimously passed the resolution that Rahul Gandhi should take the position of leader of opposition in the parliament,” Congress general secretary KC Venugopal announced at a news conference.
Several world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, British PM Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and PM Mohammed Bin Salman, and others, have congratulated Modi on his third-term election as India’s premier.
The swearing-in ceremony will see the attendance of over 8,000 dignitaries, including Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina, Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Bhutan’s PM Tshering Tobgay, and Nepalese PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda.”
In contrast, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has yet to congratulate Modi on his electoral victory. Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, when asked if Pakistan has officially congratulated Modi, stated, “It is the right of the people of India to decide about their own leadership. We do not have any comments on their electoral process.”
Addressing another query, Baloch reiterated Pakistan’s desire for cooperative relations with all its neighbors, including India, and advocated for constructive dialogue and engagement to resolve outstanding issues, notably the core dispute of Jammu and Kashmir. She expressed hope that India would take steps to create a conducive environment for peace and dialogue, benefiting the people of both countries.
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