Modi, striking a modest tone, is sworn in for a third term

NEW DELHI — As a humbled Narendra Modi was sworn in Sunday for a third term as India’s prime minister, the political air in New Delhi appeared transformed.

The election that ended last week stripped Modi of his parliamentary majority and forced him to turn to a diverse set of coalition partners to stay in power. Now, these other parties are enjoying something that for years was singularly Modi’s: relevance and the spotlight.

Their leaders have been swarmed by TV crews while on their way to present demands and policy opinions to Modi. His opponents, too, have been getting more airtime, with stations cutting live to their news conferences, something almost unheard of in recent years.

Above all, the change can be seen in Modi himself. For now, at least, the messianic air is gone. He pitches himself as the modest administrator whom voters showed they wanted.

“To run the government, a majority is necessary. But to run the nation, a consensus is necessary,” Modi said in a speech Friday to members of his coalition.

To many, Modi’s shift in approach can mean only good things for the country’s democracy — a move toward moderation in a hugely diverse nation that was being whipped into a Hindu-first monolith in the image of one man.

The question is whether Modi can truly become something he has not been during his two-plus decades in elected office: a consensus builder.

For the first time in his more than two decades in elected office, Modi finds himself in uncharted territory. Until now, as long as he has been at the helm — whether at the state level as the chief minister of Gujarat or at the national level — his Bharatiya Janata Party has always had a majority. Analysts say that history of never having been in the opposition has shaped his heavy-handed approach to politics.

But under a coalition government, Modi’s traditional approach will be difficult.

Modi is a champion of economic development, with an inspiring biography of a rise from a humble caste and relative poverty. He is also a lifelong Hindu nationalist.

Analysts say the recent rebuke by voters might prompt Modi to tap into his development champion side and to focus on a legacy of economic transformation that could improve the lives of all Indians.

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