Narendra Modi sworn in for third term as India's prime minister in pictures

Narendra Modi begins third term as India’s prime minister after election victory.
Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party won 240 seats, forming a coalition for a parliamentary majority.
The swearing-in was held at Rashtrapati Bhavan with regional leaders and high security in New Delhi.

Narendra Modi has been sworn in for a third term as India’s prime minister after winning the election but losing a parliamentary majority on Friday.

Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 240 seats, well short of the 272 required for a majority and far fewer than the record 303 it won in the 2019 election.

Modi, 73, has been forced to form a coalition government as leader of the BJP-led National Democratic Coalition, which together controls 293 seats. The coalition includes several smaller regional parties.

The swearing-in ceremony took place at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the Indian president in New Delhi. It was attended by thousands of guests, including the heads of neighboring Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. Two of India’s richest industrialists, Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani, were present, as was the Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan.

Tight security was in place in New Delhi with more than 2,500 police officers deployed around the venue and a no-fly zone declared.

Analysts predict that dependence on coalition parties will likely curtail some of the authoritarian leanings of Modi’s previous governance, forcing the prime minister to engage in consensus politics.

Gautam Nair, an assistant professor of public policy at Harvard, said that Modi’s nationalist message had stopped resonating with voters.

“This election, even if Prime Minister Modi retains power, shows the power of India’s democracy,” said Rossow.

Here are some of the best pictures from India’s historic weekend.

Thousands of people gathered in front of the Presidential Palace