PM Modi touched the Constitution to his forehead at the NDA meeting
The newly elected parliamentarians of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, or NDA, gathered today at the Samvidhan Bhavan of the Parliament to choose a leader of the alliance.
Soon Prime Minister Narendra Modi walked in to chants of "Modi, Modi" and headed straight for the Constitution.
He then bowed to it, picked it up, and touched it to his forehead, before placing it back and bowing to it again.
The alliance members cheered him on and applauded him.
Sharing a photo of him with the Constitution on X, PM wrote, "Every moment of my life is dedicated to the great values of the Constitution of India given by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. It is our Constitution, due to which a person like me, born in a poor and backward family, got the opportunity to serve the nation. It is our Constitution, due to which today crores of countrymen are getting hope, strength, and a dignified life."
At the meeting, BJP veteran and MP Rajnath Singh proposed PM Modi as the leader of the NDA's parliamentary party. The pitch was unanimously accepted, setting the stage for him to return as the PM for a historic third time. PM Modi is the only Prime Minister after Jawaharlal Nehru to win three consecutive mandates.
Narendra Modi will take oath as the Prime Minister on June 9.
In the recently concluded elections, the BJP won 240 seats, falling short of the majority mark of 272. Even as the BJP was confident of crossing the 400 mark together with its allies - the poll cry being "ab ki baar, 400 paar", the NDA won 293 seats as the Opposition bloc INDIA put up a strong fight.