NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be administered oath of office for his second term along with his new council of ministers on May 30, the President’s office said on Sunday.
President Ram Nath Kovind will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the prime minister and other members of the Union Council of Ministers at a ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday at 7 pm, an official communiqué said.
Modi is the first BJP leader who has been elected for the second time after completion of his five-year tenure, a feat so far achieved only by two Congress leaders – Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.
From BJP, Atal Bihari Vajpayee was also elected as a prime minister for two consecutive terms, but his first stint had lasted only for one year and seven months.
Names of the ministers who would join Modi in his second innings are yet to be disclosed, though there has been speculation about some new members expected to join the council, including from states like West Bengal that played a key role in the BJP’s massive victory in the just-held Lok Sabha elections.
It was also not immediately clear whether the ceremony will be attended by some world leaders.
Modi had stunned everyone during 2014 swearing-in when he had called SAARC leaders, including the then Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif.
The 2014 swearing-in was held at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan with around 2,000 people including foreign dignitaries invited. The oath was then administered by President Pranab Mukherjee.
Several global leaders, including Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have congratulated Modi on his resounding victory.
Modi was elected unanimously as leader of the National Democratic Alliance after which he called on Kovind on Saturday in his capacity as leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party, which has majority support in the House of the People following the general election to the 17th Lok Sabha.
Parliament session
The first session of the 17th Lok Sabha may start from June 6 and last till June 15, sources said on Sunday.
The dates of the first Parliament session are expected to be finalised during the first meeting of the new Cabinet on May 31, a day after Narendra Modi takes oath, they said.
The BJP-led NDA government will prove its majority during the session which is likely to have six sittings, the sources said. (PTI)
