Photo: Collected
In a glittering ceremony in the forecourt of the Presidential Palace in New Delhi, Narendra Modi and his cabinet ministers took the oath of office for the third consecutive term.
President Draupadi Murmu presided over the swearing-in ceremony, which was attended by a galaxy of world leaders, primarily from India's immediate neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean region. Pakistan and China, however, were not invited to the function. In a surprising development, Maldives' pro-China President Muizzu, with whom India's relations had nosedived, was present at the function, creating ripples in New Delhi's diplomatic circles.
In bitterly fought elections, the results of which did not match the predictions of the exit polls, Modi will, for the first time, be heading a coalition government in which his own party, the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), will not command a majority in Parliament.
However, despite initial reports that the opposition INDIA alliance might attempt to form the government, it has ultimately decided to sit on the opposition benches, adopting a 'wait and watch' policy, thus signalling the assumption of power by the NDA alliance without any major hiccups.
According to reliable sources, the BJP will retain the major cabinet portfolios of Foreign Affairs, Defense, Home, Finance, Education, and Culture, signalling continuity of policy in key areas of governance. However, to pacify partners of the NDA, Prime Minister Modi will have to accommodate many of their demands, unlike earlier, to enable the government to run without challenges.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was one of the first foreign leaders to arrive in New Delhi and had a brief one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Modi after the swearing-in ceremony. She also, along with her daughter Saima Wazed Putul, attended the ceremonial dinner at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
According to Foreign Ministry sources from both countries, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is again due to pay a bilateral visit to New Delhi shortly, where the gamut of issues, bilateral and multilateral, will be discussed in detail between the leadership of both countries. Officials are now busy discussing and finalizing the agenda for this forthcoming visit.
India, which is today the fifth-largest economy in the world, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has taken up an ambitious project codenamed 'Viksit Bharat' to transform the country into a developed nation by 2047. However, the most important challenge for the Modi government in its third term of office will be to keep the country and the ruling coalition united to achieve its goal of a peaceful and prosperous nation.
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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, accompanied by her daughter Saima Wazed Putul and world leaders, attends the swearing-in ceremony.
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