Modi poised to begin his third consecutive term; what is the immediate agenda for PM?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is poised to begin his third consecutive term at 11:30 am today in his South Block office in Delhi, following yesterday's swearing-in ceremony where he introduced a 72-member Union Council of Ministers. 

The immediate agenda for the newly sworn-in Prime Minister includes convening a Cabinet meeting to request President Droupadi Murmu to summon a session of Parliament. This session will feature the President's address to both houses, highlighting the government's vision and priorities for the upcoming term. Additionally, the announcement of the allocation of 2 crore houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) housing scheme is expected today.

During the grand ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan yesterday, President Murmu administered the oath of office to PM Modi and his cabinet, which includes prominent BJP leaders such as Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Nirmala Sitharaman, and S Jaishankar.

The Council of Ministers consists of 30 Cabinet Ministers, five Ministers of State with Independent Charge, and 36 Ministers of State. Notable additions include three former chief ministers and actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi, the BJP's first Lok Sabha MP from Kerala.

'A great blend of youth and experience'

PM Modi expressed, "This team of ministers is a great blend of youth and experience; we will leave no stone unturned in improving people's lives. I look forward to serving 140 crore Indians and working with the Council of Ministers to take India to new heights of progress," in a post on X after the ceremony.

The first meeting of the new cabinet is scheduled for this evening at the Prime Minister's residence at Lok Kalyan Marg, with the allocation of ministerial portfolios expected shortly thereafter. The new cabinet provides significant representation to states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, with Bihar securing four cabinet berths and Uttar Pradesh receiving nine ministerial positions. 

Notably, forty-two ministers are from the Other Backward Class (OBC), Scheduled Caste (SC), and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities. However, there is no Muslim representation in the new cabinet.