Narendra Modi sworn in for third term at grand ceremony in Delhi

NEW DELHI, India

Narendra Modi has been sworn in as India's prime minister for a third term in a grand ceremony at the presidential palace in Delhi.

The leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party took his oath, saying he would "do right to all manner of people without affection or ill-will".

Mr Modi's BJP-led National Democratic Alliance won the general election with 293 seats, a much lower margin than predicted by exit polls.

The election saw a resurgence of India's opposition, which won 234 seats.

Thousands of guests have been attending his inauguration at Delhi's presidential palace. Among them are the heads of neighbouring Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives - but not Pakistan or China.

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

Speaking as he was sworn in by President Draupadi Murmu, Mr Modi said he would uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India and govern with "true faith and allegiance to the constitution".

He said: "I will do right to all manner of people in accordance with the constitution and the law without fear or favour."

A council of ministers of Mr Modi's new cabinet were also sworn in during the ceremony.

Mr Modi, 73, is only the second Indian leader to win a third consecutive term after the country’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

Exit polls had projected outright victory for his Hindu Nationalist BJP party, which ruled India for a decade, but it lost its parliamentary majority in the general election.

His NDA bloc relied on two key allies, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Janata Dal (United) JD(U), to cross the 272-seat mark needed to form the government.

On Friday, the elected MPs voted Mr Modi as the leader of the Lok Sabha (the lower house of the parliament), leader of the BJP parliamentary party, and leader of the NDA.

It is not clear what concessions his allies may have negotiated in return for their support. India media report that several are seeking key ministerial posts.

The opposition INDIA alliance, led by the Congress party, has called the election a mandate against Mr Modi's government.

Mr Modi, however, countered this on Friday, saying: "Opposition tried to paint 2024 Lok Sabha results as a loss for us. But we didn’t lose, we never lost, we will never lose."