Following over two months of voting, Indian leader Narendra Modi was sworn in as prime minister for a third term.
Sunday saw the swearing-in of Narendra Modi for a record-breaking third term as prime minister of India, but he did so as the leader of a divided coalition following a shocking polling loss that will assess his capacity to maintain policy stability in the most populous country in the world.
At a lavish ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the president’s residence in New Delhi, President Droupadi Murmu gave Modi the oath of office in front of thousands of dignitaries, including the leaders of seven regional nations, Bollywood celebrities, and businessmen.
After Jawaharlal Nehru, the father of Indian freedom, Modi began his career as a publicist for the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the political antecedent of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Modi is only the second person to hold the office of prime minister for three consecutive terms.
Unlike in the previous two periods when his party gained a clear majority, Modi, 73, won the support of 14 regional parties in his BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to secure the third term in elections that ended on June 1.
The result is viewed as a major blow to the well-liked leader because surveys and exit polls had indicated that the BJP would win even more seats than it did in 2019.
Modi’s world-beating growth and improved India’s image abroad belied his apparent gaffe at home, where voters reined him in due to religious divisions, high prices, poor salaries, and a dearth of jobs.
Because of the disparate interests of regional parties and a more formidable opposition, observers predict that Modi’s second term as prime minister will be difficult to reach an agreement on divisive political and policy matters.
Some analysts are concerned that the demands for increased development funds for states ruled by the NDA’s regional allies and a potential push by the BJP to spend more on welfare to win back voters it lost in this year’s election could put additional pressure on the fiscal balance in the fastest growing economy in the world.
After the unexpected outcome, Modi, whose election campaign was characterized by religious rhetoric and accusations that the opposition was favoring India’s 200 million minority Muslims, has taken a more accommodative stance.
The NDA officially designated him coalition chairman on Friday. “We have won the majority, but to run the country, it is unanimity that is crucial… we will strive for unanimity,” he stated. (YP Rajesh and Chris Thomas reported; Himani Sarkar edited)
