What lies ahead for India as PM Modi gears up for third term

Narendra Damodardas Modi is all set to take the oath as Prime Minister of India for the third time on June 9. With this, he becomes the second prime minister after Jawahar Lal Nehru to be re-elected for three consecutive terms in office. Before this, Modi served as the Prime Minister of India from 2014 to 2019 and again from 2019 to 2024.

Narendra Modi, along with other members of the Union Council of Ministers, will take the oath of office on June 9 at 7.15 pm, at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Leaders of neighboring countries and the Indian Ocean region have been invited as distinguished guests to PM Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony in keeping with India's unwavering commitment to its "Neighborhood First" policy and the Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) vision.

“President of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe; President of the Maldives, Mohamed Muizzu; Vice-President of Seychelles, Ahmed Afif; Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina; Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth; Prime Minister of Nepal, Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda; and Prime Minister of Bhutan, Tshering Tobgay, have accepted the invitation to attend the ceremony,” said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in an official statement.

In addition to international dignitaries, around 50 religious leaders from various faiths have been invited, along with other notable individuals such as attorneys, physicians, artists, influencers, etc. The event will also feature Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri honorees. In total, over 8,000 guests are reportedly invited for the occasion.

But the Opposition INDIA bloc has not been invited to the scheduled swearing-in ceremony. Following the Congress’ CWC meeting on June 8, party leader Jairam Ramesh said, "Only international leaders have been invited for the swearing-in ceremony. Our leaders have not received the invitation yet."

Meanwhile, the security has been beefed up at Rashtrapati Bhawan for the swearing-in ceremony of PM Modi. A multi-layered security has been put in place to ensure complete security. Delhi police personnel will be deployed outside the ring, followed by paramilitary personnel and internal security of the President's house at the inner ring.

Snipers and armed police personnel will be deployed on the dignitary routes. Drones will be placed in key spots to enhance surveillance.

President Murmu met leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Chandrababu Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal (U), and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde of Maharashtra's Shiv Sena on June 8, where the leaders handed over letters of support to the newly formed government.

Speaking at the occasion, Modi stated that this coalition, which is based on the idea of "Sarv Pantha Samabhava" (all sects are equal), is based on mutual trust.

Earlier, Modi had stated, "With people’s support, the nation has seen a massive transformation over the last ten years," in the BJP's manifesto for the Lok Sabha Election of 2024.

The previous two terms of Modi have been criticized by opposition leaders and activists for using divisive politics. Modi’s regime was also accused of propagating hate crimes against minorities, high unemployment rates, rising inflation and soaring inequality. 

Despite the criticism, the BJP ran their election campaign with the slogan "Abki Baar 400 Paar," with a manifesto that included several promises and guarantees, including "Modi ki Guarantee for Garib Parivar Jan," "Nari-Shakti," "Young Citizens," "Vishwa Bandhu Bharat," "Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas," and many more.

However, the BJP could not gather the required majority mandate. Even the consecration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya did not attract the support they expected as they had a poor performance in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

For the first time in the last 3 elections, the BJP failed to secure a clear mandate mark of 272 as it finished with just 240 seats in its account.

In the previous two elections, the party had won 283 seats in 2014 Lok Sabha election and 303 in 2019.

This time, a record 642 million Indians cast votes over seven stages in the past few months to choose 543 Lok Sabha representatives. 

Meanwhile, the INDI Alliance gave tough competition to the NDA, winning 235 seats in the Lok Sabha Election 2024.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) staged a dramatic comeback and won 37 seats in the Uttar Pradesh election, shocking the BJP the most as it only managed to get 33 seats. 

Modi, who was born in a poor family on September 17, 1950, in Gujarat, began his career with the Hindutva outfit Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He later entered into politics, serving at both state and national levels with the RSS-backed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).