New Delhi, May 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) This day, exactly 12 years ago, India stepped into a new political era as Narendra Modi took oath as the 15th Prime Minister of the country at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The day was significant because on May 26, 2014, he led the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a 282-seat victory, crossing the majority mark in the 543-member Lok Sabha.
It marked the first time in three decades that a single party secured an outright majority in the Lok Sabha. It was also the first time in 30 years that a single party won the mandate of more than half of the country’s electors who participated in the poll process. Earlier, in 1984, the then Rajiv Gandhi-led Congress won a landslide victory with over 400 seats following Indira Gandhi’s assassination. The party was elected with more than 76 per cent of the vote share at that time.
Between 1989 and 2014, India saw coalition governments, and no single party managed to cross the majority mark. Alliances like the United Front, National Democratic Alliance (NDA), and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) governed with combined strength. Thus, the 2014 BJP victory marked the beginning of a new phase where one party could govern independently.
But it still respected the “coalition dharma”, leading the NDA alliance, which together held 336 seats. It was perhaps the first occasion that an Indian Prime Minister‑elect was sworn in with heads of government from all eight SAARC countries in attendance, signalling a fresh, outward‑looking chapter in India’s foreign‑policy narrative.
The ceremony that evening took place in the forecourts of Rashtrapati Bhavan, where over 4,000 guests – diplomats, politicians, business leaders, artists, and civil‑society figures – gathered in what became one of the largest oath‑taking gatherings in India’s history. Then, President Pranab Mukherjee administered the oath of office and secrecy.
Narendra Modi’s first Council of Ministers comprised 24 Cabinet ministers, 12 ministers of state, and 10 ministers of state with independent charge, reflecting both the BJP’s renewed organisational strength and the coalition‑friendly nature of the NDA.
The new Prime Minister had experience in leading Gujarat as Chief Minister for nearly 13 years. His 2014 Lok Sabha campaign, built around the slogan “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” (Together with all, development for all), was framed as a shift from a politics of “entitlement” to one of “performance”. It was the time that India was grappling with a slowdown in growth, high inflation, frequent power outages, and a perception of corruption and policy paralysis at high places.
The 2014 verdict was widely interpreted as a public desire for decisive leadership, administrative efficiency, and a renewed focus on infrastructure and job creation. Over the years, the Modi government introduced a series of structural measures aimed at modernising India’s economy and governance.
The Goods and Services Tax (GST), rolled out in 2017, unified more than a dozen separate central and state taxes into a single indirect tax regime, simplifying compliance and reducing cascading‑tax effects on manufacturers and traders. Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), launched before his first oath but accelerated under his leadership, expanded formal banking access to hundreds of millions of unbanked citizens, laying the groundwork for direct benefit transfers.
India’s economy, buffeted by global shocks and the pandemic, nonetheless posted periods of growth in the 7-8 per cent range in the pre‑COVID years, while the country’s nominal GDP roughly doubled from around USD 2 trillion in 2014 to some USD 4.2-4.3 trillion by 2025.
Meanwhile, key infrastructure projects sought to address long‑standing bottlenecks. The Modi era is also closely associated with a rapid digitalisation of governance. The “Digital India” initiative promoted e‑governance, broadband connectivity in rural areas, and a push towards paperless, remote services.
The Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system, tying subsidies to Aadhaar‑linked bank accounts, helped reduce leakages in schemes such as LPG subsidies and rural employment guarantees. Flagship welfare programmes like the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (housing for all), Ujjwala Yojana (free LPG connections for poor women), and the Ayushman Bharat health‑insurance scheme have been cited as evidence of a broad‑based social‑security push.
His government also launched the “Make in India” campaign to attract manufacturing investment, simplify regulatory clearances, and develop industrial corridors and smart cities. On the international stage, the Modi government emphasised strategic autonomy, diversified defence and trade partnerships, and a more visible “India‑first” diplomacy. High‑profile visits to the United States, Japan, Russia, and European capitals, along with initiatives such as the Act East Policy and the International Solar Alliance, reinforced India’s self‑image as a key global player.
Also, the 2016 “surgical strikes” across the Line of Control in response to a terrorist attack at Uri, and the 2019 Balakot airstrike after the Pulwama attack, underscored a more assertive national‑security posture.
The Modi years have also witnessed a transformation in how political communication and public information are delivered. Twelve years after that historic evening at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Narendra Modi’s first oath remains a distinct phase of Indian politics.
The period since then is marked by centralised decision‑making, large‑scale welfare schemes, digital governance, muscular nationalism, and an ambition to place India among the world’s leading economies.
Source: IANS
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