NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi took his oath of office in the name of God for the second consecutive term at 7.07pm today at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

The BJP had witnessed a massive victory in the recently-concluded national elections. PM Modi and his council of ministers were administered the oath by President Ram Nath Kovind. The dazzling oath-taking event is being held at the presidential palace Rashtrapati Bhavan and is being attended by 8000 guests including world leaders, celebrities, industrialists and politicians.

Over 50 ministers joined him in the swearing-in held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

PM Modi, 68, walked to the podium for his oath to chants of "Modi, Modi" from the audience. The two other leaders who were cheered loudly by the crowd were Amit Shah and Smriti Irani.

Amit Shah, who is credited with leading the BJP to magnificent victories in election after election, is the most prominent newcomer in PM Modi's second government. The 54-year-old is likely to handle one of the top four ministries in the cabinet. Amit Shah has been PM Modi's confidant for over two decades.

Smriti Irani, who defeated Congress president Rahul Gandhi in his family constituency of Amethi, is expected to be rewarded with a big ministry.

Congratulating those who took oath today, PM Modi said "together, we will work for India's progress".

"This team is a blend of youthful energy and administrative experience. It has people who have excelled as Parliamentarians and those who have had distinguished professional careers," PM Modi tweeted.

PM Modi is expected to announce new Finance and Foreign Ministers after two big exits -- Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance returned to power with a massive haul of 352 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP won 303 seats on its own.

Just before the ceremony, one of the party's key allies, Nitish Kumar, said his party would not be a part of the government because the BJP's offer of one cabinet berth was not acceptable. Mr Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar, had reportedly asked for two ministries.

The BJP's south ally AIADMK has also opted out, apparently because of disagreements over who would be included in the government.