Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi met President Droupadi Murmu on Friday evening and staked claim to form the government. The oath taking ceremony will be held on Sunday evening at Rashtrapati Bhawan and the President will administer the oath to Narendra Modi and his new cabinet at 7.15 PM.

Earlier, an NDA delegation led by BJP President JP Nadda also met the President and submitted a letter stating that Narendra Modi had been elected leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party. Letters of support from NDA constituent parties were also handed over to the President.

Speaking outside Rashtrapati Bhavan, Mr Modi stated that NDA will form a strong, stable and growth-oriented government. Mr Modi said the President has appointed him as Prime Minister-designate, and he has informed her that they are comfortable with the swearing-in ceremony being held this Sunday. He added that the Rashtrapati Bhavan will work out the rest of the details now and by then, the list of the Council of Ministers will be handed to the President.

He said people have given NDA government one more chance and this 18th Lok Sabha is a House of new and youthful energy. He said his government will fulfill the hopes and aspirations of the people of the country.

The Prime Minister-designate said the stable government will prove beneficial for India and its economy, as well as the youth. He assured the nation that his government will not leave any stone unturned to develop the nation at a fast pace.

Rashtrapati Bhawan said in a social media post that President Droupadi Murmu today appointed Narendra Modi to the office of Prime Minister of India exercising powers vested in her under Article 75 (1) of the Constitution. The President requested Mr Modi to advise her about the names of other persons to be appointed members of the Union Council of Ministers, and indicate the date and time of the swearing-in-ceremony to be held at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Earlier in the day, NDA Parliamentary Party unanimously elected Narendra Modi as its leader. During the NDA Parliamentary party meeting at the Central hall of the old Parliament building in New Delhi, Senior BJP Leader and Union Minister Rajnath Singh moved a proposal to elect Mr Modi as NDA leader and it was supported by the leaders of all NDA allies. Mr. Modi has also been elected as the leader of BJP in Lok Sabha, and BJP parliamentary party.

Proposing the name of Mr Modi, Rajnath Singh said that he is the most suitable person for this post. He said, that this alliance is not a compulsion but it is our commitment. Union Minister’s Amit Shah and Nitin Gadkari seconded the proposal.

TDP Chief Chandrababu Naidu said, NDA government under the visionary leadership of Narendra Modi has taken significant initiatives in the last ten years. He said, the country has witnessed remarkable progress and transformation. Mr Naidu said, India is having a right leader at the right time, that is Narendra Modi.

Extending his support to Prime Minister Modi, Bihar Chief Minister and JD (U) President Nitish Kumar said that they will work together under Mr Modi’s leadership. Mr Kumar said, Mr Modi has served the country and whatever is left he will fulfill in the new term.

Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena (Shinde group) leader Eknath Shinde, LJP (R) Chief Chirag Paswan, NCP leader Ajit Pawar, Jan Sena Chief Pawan Kalyan, Apna Dal (S) leader Anupriya Patel and JD (S) leader H D Kumaraswamy also supported the proposal.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Modi said, NDA is not a group of parties that have come together for power but it is an alliance committed to work with the spirit of nation first. He said, NDA is the most successful alliance in India’s history and our aim will be to reach unanimity in all decisions. Mr Modi said, today, the people of the country have given NDA an opportunity to serve them by forming the government in 22 states.

Mr Modi said, the NDA government will focus on good governance, development, and minimum interference in lives of common citizens. He said, in the last ten years, the NDA has worked to take the country to new heights of success. Mr Modi said, a common thing that exists amongst all the leadership pillars of NDA is Good Governance.

In his address, Mr. Modi said the focus will be on good governance, development, quality of life and minimum interference in the lives of common citizens in the next year. He also took a dig at the opposition alliance saying when the results were declared he was concerned if the Electronic Voting Machines are ‘dead or alive’ referring to the allegations of EVM rigging. He alleged that the opposition tried to blame the EVM and weaken the Election Commission of India. He also attacked the opposition over its poll promises and accused it of misleading the people during the Lok Sabha poll campaign. Mr. Modi also took a dig at Congress saying the party could not touch the figure of 100 seats in this Lok Sabha polls.

BJP President J P Nadda said, NDA got the majority in Lok Sabha elections for the third consecutive year. He said, the BJP success in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh is praiseworthy. RLD Chief Jayant Chaudhary, several Union Ministers including Piyush Goyal and Anurag Singh Thakur were among others present in the meeting. Besides, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Gujarat Bhupendra Patel, Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav, Goa CM Pramod Sawant, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and Manipur CM N Biren Singh also attended the meeting.