Prime Minister Narendra Modi took oath before a packed gathering in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday evening, starting his second term as the head of the government of the country.
Modi, who returned to power with a massive mandate in the Lok Sabha elections 2019, was administered oath of office and secrecy by President Ram Nath Kovind.
Some top leaders from the BJP and NDA allies also took oath as Ministers in the new Cabinet of the PM. Among them were Rajnath Singh, BJP chief Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Harsimrat Kaur Badal and former foreign secretary S Jaishankar.
Singh, who served as Home Minister in the previous NDA government from 2014 to 2019, is the senior-most leader in the government. He was the first among the Union Council of Ministers to take oath today.
At least one member from each of the parties in alliance with NDA was included in the ministry. The Janata Dal (United), however, opted out.
A galaxy of prominent names arrived at the Rasthrapati Bhavan in the evening for the swearing-in ceremony. With around 8000 people in attendance, Modi’s oath ceremony was the largest till date at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Earlier in the morning, the PM and BJP president Amit Shah held talks to give a final shape to the new council of ministers before sending the list to the Rashtrapati Bhavan.