Narendra Modi was sworn in as the Prime Minister of India for a historic third term on Sunday, along with 72 ministers who are yet to be assigned their duties. The ministers included faces from among the BJP’s coalition partners, whose support has been crucial in forming the government. This will be the first time he will share power with his allies since becoming the Prime Minister in 2014.
Here’s how foreign media covered the swearing-in ceremony of PM Modi, who is the second Prime Minister after Jawaharlal Nehru to be elected for a third term in a row.
The New York Times
The political air in New Delhi appeared transformed as the new government was sworn in, reported The New York Times. Denied a parliamentary majority, PM Modi turned to a diverse set of coalition partners, who are now enjoying relevance and spotlight, it said.
BBC
BBC stuck to a more objective style of reporting with no analysts weighing upon Modi 3.0 and the election results. It, however, noted that the ruling alliance won by a lower margin than predicted by the exit polls – in an election that saw “resurgence of India’s opposition.”
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera reported that the lack of majority will test the BJP’s ability to ensure policy certainty in a coalition government. It noted the challenges the alliance may face from the two coalition-era veterans, Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu, who “have friends across the aisle” and “opposition will be wooing them”.
Bloomberg
Bloomberg captured the grandeur of the oath event – one that was attended by 8,000 guests including foreign head of states, business tycoons and Bollywood stars. It noted that it is the first time PM Modi will be sharing power while extending his leadership.
AFP
France’s AFP news agency provided an overall details of the event – from the decorations to the coalition partners, whose support was key to formation of the government. Though the details of the new cabinet are not known yet, it said larger coalition parties have demanded hefty concessions in exchange for their support.
