Ahead of taking oath as PM, Modi visits Rajghat

Ahead of being sworn in as India's 15th Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on Monday visited Rajghat and paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi. Modi spent around 10 minutes at Rajghat, the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi.

A number of Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party leaders including Harsh Vardhan, Vijay Goel and Vijender Gupta were present at Rajghat. Modi, who led the BJP to an astounding victory in the Lok Sabha polls, will be sworn in as the prime minister on Monday evening in the forecourt of the majestic Rashtrapati Bhawan at a grand function to be attended by foreign dignitaries including South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation leaders.

President Pranab Mukherjee will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Modi and his Council of Ministers in the presence of a host of leaders, including outgoing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party vice president Rahul Gandhi, besides leaders of various other parties and chief ministers of a number of states.

Image: Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi walks at the Mahatma Gandhi memorial after paying the flower tribute at Rajghat ahead of his swearing-in ceremony, in New Delhi. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters