In anticipation of Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony as Prime Minister for a third consecutive term today, all MPs slated to join the Council of Ministers will gather for a tea event at the PM’s residence in New Delhi at noon. Notable attendees expected to take the oath as ministers include Karnataka JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, JD(U)’s Ramnath Thakur, TDP MPs Ram Mohan Naidu and Pemmasani Chandrasekhar, former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi, and Union ministers Piyush Goyal, Nitin Gadkari, and Dharmendra Pradhan. Modi commenced his day by paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat, ahead of the ceremony scheduled for 7.15 pm at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Dignitaries and Invitees
Leaders from India’s neighboring countries and the Indian Ocean Region are among the distinguished guests expected at the event. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has been invited, though the party will decide on attendance after consulting with INDIA bloc allies. Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has stated that her party will not participate.
Election Results and Coalition Government
In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the BJP-led alliance secured 293 out of 543 seats, despite the BJP not achieving a majority on its own, obtaining only 240 seats, a significant drop from the previous 303. The Congress won 99 seats. The majority mark in the Lok Sabha is 272. This outcome marks a shift from single-party dominance to a coalition government, with the BJP now relying heavily on alliance partners such as the TDP and JD(U).