NEW DELHI, May 20 (UPI) -- Narendra Modi of the BJP will be sworn in May 26, after being unanimously elected as the leader of the parliamentary party at a meeting on Tuesday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's 282 members of parliament elected Modi to be the next prime minister, and he spoke to the newly elected MPs at a meeting in New Delhi. He said that these elections were a vote for a "new hope and aspiration," and that he would try his best to live up to the expectations of the people.
After being elected leader of his party, Modi then met President Pranab Mukherjee to his stake his claim as the next prime minister of India.
"I came to call on the President. The President has given me a formal letter (of appointment as the PM) and has invited me for oath-taking ceremony on May 26 at 6 p.m. as we had earlier decided," Modi told the media emerging from the meeting with the president.
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Speaking earlier at his party headquarters, Modi said that the results showed that the "'common man' had a renewed self confidence and faith in democracy," which resulted in his party's impressive victory last week.
"For rural areas, farmers, dalits [formerly Untouchables], weak and the pained, this government is for them. To meet their aspirations and hopes, this is our responsibility because our weakest, poorest have sent us here," he said at the meeting.
Modi, who has rejected an image of being a strong leader, uncharacteristically broke down as he spoke about his mentor and senior party leader L.K. Advani, who earlier said that Modi had done the party a favor by taking over responsibility of it.
Modi is currently holding meetings to finalize his cabinet appointees, who will be sworn in with him on May 26. The oath taking ceremony will take place on Monday at 8:30 a.m. EST.
