Updated 9 June 2024 at 22:53 IST
Modi 3.0 Sworn-In: Dressed in a white kurta and churidar with a blue chequered jacket, Narendra Damodardas Modi (73) has been sworn in as Prime Minister for an unprecedented third term, leading a Cabinet that prioritized continuity and experience, while also acknowledging the contributions of allies within the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. Joining PM Modi were 72 ministers, including seasoned BJP stalwarts Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, and S Jaishankar, all of whom served in Modi 2.0 Cabinet.
The oath-taking ceremony, held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, saw President Droupadi Murmu administering the oath of secrecy and office to Modi and 30 Cabinet ministers. Among the 72 ministers, 30 will hold Cabinet positions, five will have independent charge, and 36 will serve as Ministers of State. While specific portfolios are yet to be announced, PM Modi, aged 73, will lead this coalition government, marking his third term, referred to as 'Modi 3.0'.
Alongside Prime Minister Modi, 30 cabinet ministers, 5 ministers of state (independent charge), and 36 ministers of state were sworn in. Prominent figures among the newly inducted ministers include former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and Vidisha MP Shivraj Singh Chouhan, as well as former Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, now representing the Karnal constituency. The BJP-led NDA government also ensured representation for its first MP in Kerala, Suresh Gopi. Hindustani Awami Morcha President Jitan Ram Manjhi secured a ministerial berth. Among the fresh faces from the BJP in the Council of Ministers are Jitin Prasada, Raksha Khadse, Muralidhar Mohol, and V Somanna. Check full list of 72 ministers below.
As many as 34 ministers have been dropped from the government in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's third term and these include seven with cabinet rank -- prominent among them being Smriti Irani, Anurag Thakur and Narayan Rane. Parshottam Rupala, Arjun Munda, RK Singh and Mahendra Natha Pandey, also held cabinet positions in the second Modi government but were not retained in the Council of Ministers that took oath on June 10. While all three Ministers with Independent Charge have been retained, out of 42 ministers of state, 30 have been dropped. Those who have not been repeated include VK Singh, Faggansingh Kulaste, Ashwini Choubey, Danve Raosaheb Dadarao, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Sanjeev Balyan, Rajeev Chandrashekhar, Subhas Sarkar, Nisith Pramanik, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh and Pratima Bhoumik.
Those present on the occasion included Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, TDP president Chandrababu Naidu and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar. Bollywood actors Shahrukh Khan and Rajinikanth, and industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani were among those who attended the swearing-in ceremony. Besides, top leaders from India's neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean region -- Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Bhutanese PM Tshering Tobgay and Vice-President of Seychelles Ahmed Afif -- were special guests at the function.
In addition to political leaders and eminent persons from different walks of life, members from the transgender community as well as sanitation workers and labourers, who were involved in the construction of the new parliament building, also attended the swearing-in ceremony of Modi and the new council of ministers. Nearly 9,000 people were estimated to be present at the forecourts of the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the grand event.
The first meeting of the third Narendra Modi cabinet is likely to be held on Monday evening at the Prime Minister's Lok Kalyan Marg residence, the sources said. The newly inducted ministers would meet at Modi's residence at 5 pm. BJP president J P Nadda also hosted a dinner for those inducted in the new Modi government's council of ministers, the sources said.
Published 9 June 2024 at 22:35 IST