NEW DELHI: As the sun set over the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday, Narendra Modi and his council of ministers were sworn in for a second successive term with 8,000 people packing into the forecourt of the historic British-era presidential palace.
In a grand ceremony with overtones of a US presidential inauguration, heads of state and Government, India Inc honchos, opposition leaders, BJP members and showbiz stars rubbed shoulders as they watched President Ram Nath Kovind administer the oath of office to India’s 58 new ministers.
The two-hour swearing-in ceremony of Modi Government 2.0 — which created a splash, with the Prime Minister powering his party to a 303 victory in the 543-member Lok Sabha, and also a spectacle — is the largest event to be held in Rashtrapati Bhavan, officials said.
The ceremony started at 7 pm, right on time, but the crowds had started filing in much earlier, taking their allotted seats and making conversation while millions watching the proceedings on TV and other screens speculated about who was who, who was there and who was not. (AGENCIES)
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