(Image source from: Quartz)

Narendra Modi on Thursday took oath as India’s prime minister for a straight second term in a spectacular ceremony following a massive win in the general elections held in April-May.

President Ramnath Kovind administrated the oath of office and secrecy to him at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential mansion, in New Delhi.

The event, which began at 7:00 p.m. was attended by over 8,000 guests, with around 10,000 security personnel specially deployed in and around the venue.

In the first term, Modi was sworn in by the then President Pranab Mukherjee in 2014 in the presence of more than 3,500 guests as well as the heads of SAARC countries.

Leaders of BIMSTEC countries including President of Bangladesh Abdul Hamid, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, President of Myanmar U Win Myint and Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering also attended the gala event.

From Thailand, it’s Special Envoy Grisada Boonrach represented the country. Besides India, BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) comprises Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan as members.

Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth and Kyrgyz President and current chair of Shanghai Cooperation Organization Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov also attended the event.

By Sowmya Sangam