India 's president appointed Narendra Modi as the new prime minister of the world 's largest democracy Tuesday , the presidential palace said in a statement . Modi succeeds Manmohan Singh , whose Congress party suffered its worst-ever defeat in the recent general elections . President Pranab Mukherjee will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Modi on May 26 , the statement said . Earlier in the day , Modi made his maiden visit to the national parliament as a federal lawmaker . In a traditional gesture of supplication to what Indians call their temple of democracy , he bowed down on the first step of the building 's entry stairs . After he was officially named leader of his Bharatiya Janata Party 's ( BJP ) parliamentary group , Modi made a passionate speech in Hindi . In his televised address to BJP lawmakers , he broke down briefly as he hailed both the nation and his party as his `` mother . '' `` I have done no favor . Can serving the mother be called a favor ? '' he asked , pausing to sip water . `` India is my mother and so is the BJP . You do no favor to your mother . You only serve her , '' he said , his voice choked with emotion . Modi vowed to increase efforts to eradicate poverty , create employment opportunities for the country 's young workers and provide a safer environment for women . The BJP has swept the five-phase national elections that concluded on May 12 , winning 282 of the 543 seats of the parliament 's lower house on its own in what has been a historic mandate for any single party in decades in India . Together , the BJP-led coalition -- called the National Democratic Alliance -- comprises 335 elected members in the lower chamber called the Lok Sabha , or the House of People . Modi prepares for transition . Opinion : Memo to Modi -- How to reboot India .
Modi will officially be sworn in May 26 . His party won more than half the seats in the parliament 's lower house . Comment: