Modi swearing-in ceremony Highlights: Modi, 57 ministers take oath; portfolio to be announced soon
Background
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi took oath along with a new council of ministers on Thursday for a second term. Suspense mounted on who will get the big four ministries in Modi cabinet - Home, Finance, Defence and External Affairs. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's oath taking ceremony started at 7 pm on Thursday. Modi cabinet ministers 2019 list was being intensely speculated since last few days ahead of the oath taking ceremony of Modi. Both PM Modi and BJP president Amit Shah held a marathon meeting for the second consecutive day on Wednesday during which they are learnt to have finalised the broad contours the new ministry that is expected to have some new faces besides retaining most of the senior ministers.
After an intense buzz Shah, who is credited for crafting the political strategy for the BJP, was a part of new government and be given a plum portfolio. Under the stewardship of Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance secured a landslide win the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, paving way for Modi’s second straight term as Indian Prime Minister.
Modi and his council of ministers took oath at 7.00 pm Thursday evening at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
A highest ever 8,000 guests, including VVIPs, attended the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his council of ministers.
Rashtrapati Bhavan kitchen's speciality 'Dal Raisina' was served to foreign delegates in a dinner to be hosted by President Ram Nath Kovind to dignitaries after the function.
The swearing-in ceremony was about 90 minutes long and after that a dinner will be served to around 40 dignitaries, including Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and the prime minister, besides leaders of all BIMSTEC countries, Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesperson Ashok Malik said Wednesday.
Ahead of being sworn in as the prime minister for the second consecutive term, Narendra Modi Thursday morning paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and BJP veteran late Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
He also placed a wreath at the National War Memorial here.
The prime minister visited Rajghat, the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi, at around 7.00 am. Later Modi went to Sadaiv Atal, the lotus-shaped memorial of late Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
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