Narendra Modi was sworn in as India's prime minister for a third term on Sunday, following a surprising election setback, challenging his capability to maintain policy certainty within a coalition government in the world's most populous nation.

President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Modi at a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential palace in New Delhi. 

“Honoured to serve Bharat," Modi stated on X before he was sworn in, referring to India's name in Indian languages.

He said he would uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India and govern with “true faith and allegiance to the constitution,” adding: “I will do right to all manner of people in accordance with the constitution and the law without fear or favour.”

Modi was followed by senior ministers in the previous government: Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Piyush Goyal, among others, Reuters reports.

The PM thanked voters for their mandate, stating he would “do everything” to eliminate corruption and poverty, BBC reports. “Empowering the poor and middle class is our priority,” he said.

Modi secured his third term after a multi-stage election that concluded on 1st June, with the support of 14 regional parties within his BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. In his previous two terms, his party had achieved an outright majority.

The result is perceived as a significant setback for the prominent leader, given that surveys and exit polls had anticipated that the BJP would secure even more seats than it did in 2019.

Modi's coalition government now heavily relies on two crucial regional allies, the Telugu Desam Party in southern Andhra Pradesh state and the Janata Dal (United) in eastern Bihar state, to maintain its position in power, AP News reports.