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| New India President Pranab Mukherjee is sworn in | New India President Pranab Mukherjee is sworn in |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Former Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has taken office as the country's 13th president. | |
| He was sworn in by Chief Justice SH Kapadia at the central hall of parliament in the capital, Delhi. | |
| The position is largely ceremonial but he could help determine who forms the next government after elections in 2014 if there is no clear winner. | The position is largely ceremonial but he could help determine who forms the next government after elections in 2014 if there is no clear winner. |
| Mr Mukherjee's term runs for five years. He replaces Pratibha Patil, who was India's first woman president. | Mr Mukherjee's term runs for five years. He replaces Pratibha Patil, who was India's first woman president. |
| The swearing in function was attended by Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and cabinet ministers among others. | The swearing in function was attended by Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and cabinet ministers among others. |
| Mr Mukherjee travelled to the parliament in a bulletproof limousine escorted by guards on horseback and security jeeps. | |
| He was given a 21-gun salute after which he signed the oath amid applause and thumping of desks in the central hall of the parliament. | |
| Mr Mukherjee, a veteran of the ruling Congress Party, was elected by members of the national and state parliaments on Sunday. | Mr Mukherjee, a veteran of the ruling Congress Party, was elected by members of the national and state parliaments on Sunday. |
| Correspondents say Mr Mukherjee's victory has come as a boost to the Congress Party, which has been under pressure over a series of corruption scandals and a slowdown in the Indian economy. | Correspondents say Mr Mukherjee's victory has come as a boost to the Congress Party, which has been under pressure over a series of corruption scandals and a slowdown in the Indian economy. |
| Mr Mukherjee has led several top government ministries during his career, including the foreign, home, defence and trade ministries. | Mr Mukherjee has led several top government ministries during his career, including the foreign, home, defence and trade ministries. |
| "I have seen vast, perhaps unbelievable, changes during the journey that has brought me from the flicker of a lamp in a small Bengal village to the chandeliers of Delhi," he said in his acceptance speech. | "I have seen vast, perhaps unbelievable, changes during the journey that has brought me from the flicker of a lamp in a small Bengal village to the chandeliers of Delhi," he said in his acceptance speech. |