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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, aged 73, was sworn in for his third consecutive term on Sunday at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. Modi, who first took office in 2014 and was re-elected in 2019, is now the second prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru to achieve this milestone.

 

Modi, who served as the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014, leads this group of seasoned politicians.

 

Joining him is Rajnath Singh, the 19th Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh from 2000 to 2002, and Haradanahalli Devegowda Kumaraswamy, who served as the 18th Chief Minister of Karnataka in two terms, from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2018 to 2019.

 

Jitan Ram Manjhi, who held the position of the 23rd Chief Minister of Bihar from May 2014 to February 2015, is also part of the new council.

 

Shivraj Singh Chouhan, former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, served from 2005 to 2018 and again from 2020 to 2023.

 

Sarbananda Sonowal, who was the 14th Chief Minister of Assam from 2016 to 2021, rounds out this group of former state leaders now at the national helm.

The swearing-in ceremony witnessed the presence of distinguished leaders from neighbouring countries and the Indian Ocean region.

 

Notable attendees included Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Bhutan’s Tshering Tobgay, and Seychelles Vice President Ahmed Afif.

 

However, the event saw limited participation from the opposition. While Congress president and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge attended, several other opposition leaders were conspicuously absent.