President Murmu appoints Modi as PM-designate; oath on Sunday evening

New Delhi, NT Bureau: Narendra Modi will take oath as the prime minister for a third consecutive term on Sunday evening as President Droupadi Murmu has invited him to form the government.

Murmu appointed Modi as the prime minister-designate on Friday after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief J P Nadda handed her a letter on Modi's election as the leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party and NDA leaders submitted their letters of support.

The BJP won 240 seats in the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls, falling short of the halfway mark in the 543-member House, but the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) together won 293 seats, which is a comfortable majority.

The president will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the prime minister and other members of the Union Council of Ministers at 7:15 pm on Sunday at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.