'Third chance to serve country': Modi invited to form govt, oath ceremony on Sunday

Modi and the members of his new cabinet will take the oath of office at 6 pm Sunday.

A statement from Rashtrapati Bhavan said Murmu had "satisfied herself on the basis of various letters of support received, that the BJP-led NDA alliance... is in a position to command a majority support of the newly constituted 18th Lok Sabha and form a stable government..."

The communique said it had, therefore, appointed Narendra Modi as Prime Minister of India.

Speaking outside the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Modi said the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA will form a strong, stable, and growth-oriented government.

Modi will be the second politician after Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to become Prime Minister for the third consecutive term.

However, unlike his previous two terms, Modi this time required the support of his allies to form a government as the BJP stopped at 240, 32 short of the majority mark (272).

The TDP (16 seats), JDU (12 seats), Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena (7 seats) and Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas (5 seats) have emerged as the kingmakers.

Addressing the media, Modi said, "This morning all NDA allies chose me as the leader and informed the President. The President then called me... and appointed me PM-designate. I told the President Sunday evening will be convenient (for the oath-taking ceremony)."

He thanked voters for giving the NDA a third term.

"NDA, for the third time, has been given a chance to serve the nation. I want to thank the people of this country for giving us this chance... and want to assure them that the pace at which the country developed in the last two terms... we will work at the same pace and with the same dedication."

"NDA government 1, 2, and now 3... this is continuity. We will take the country forward... I have had experience of doing the Prime Minister's job for 10 years and will use this experience well," he said.

The Prime Minister-designate also likened the new Lok Sabha - the 18th - to the "youthful energy and zeal to do something" of a teenager. "In a way it is the first 'azadi ka amrit mahotsav' election."

Earlier in the day, Modi completed the formality of being named the leader of the NDA's newly-elected MPs; his nomination was proposed by Rajnath Singh and backed by all member parties.

Following his nomination, he spoke about coalition politics, declaring, "Our alliance reflects the spirit of India and we are dedicated to upholding constitutional values. NDA is the most successful..."

His remarks were seen to acknowledge his reliance on allies, a new territory for the BJP after its massive majorities in 2014 and 2019, which allowed it to form the government sans active support.