Just months before becoming chancellor of Austria on Monday, Christian Stocker was a party functionary with no ministerial experience, fast approaching retirement age and barely known outside the political bubble.

Christian Stocker’s steady, pragmatic style helped him rise to Austria’s top job. His biggest test now is keeping the coalition together.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended his congratulations to Christian Stocker on being sworn in as Austria's new Federal Chancellor and expressed his eagerness to strengthen bilateral relations between the two nations.