1. Bangladesh PM Hasina and Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe will attend Modi’s swearing-in ceremony.
2. Modi is likely to take oath on June 8 at 8 pm after the BJP-led NDA secures 293 seats.
3. NDA crosses majority mark in Lok Sabha elections with 293 seats.
New Delhi, June 06: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe are among the foreign dignitaries set to attend Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony as Prime Minister for a third consecutive term, according to reports.
Modi is expected to take the oath on June 8 at 8 pm, after the BJP-led NDA won 293 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, surpassing the majority mark. The opposition INDIA bloc secured 234 seats, contrary to exit poll predictions. Leaders from Bhutan, Nepal, and Mauritius are also expected to be invited to the ceremony.
In 2019, after the Lok Sabha elections, India invited leaders of BIMSTEC countries to Modi’s swearing-in. The BIMSTEC regional group includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. The 2019 event saw around 8,000 guests, including VVIPs.
In 2014, for Modi’s first-term swearing-in, all SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) leaders, including then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, attended the ceremony.
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On Wednesday, PM-elect Modi called Ranil Wickremesinghe to invite him to the swearing-in ceremony, which the Sri Lankan President accepted, according to sources.
“During the conversation, Prime Minister @narendramodi invited President Wickremesinghe to his swearing-in ceremony, which President @RW_UNP accepted,” the Sri Lankan President’s office confirmed.
Modi also spoke with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and both leaders pledged to continue working together towards the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ and ‘Smart Bangladesh 2041’, as reported.
Sheikh Hasina, one of the first foreign leaders to congratulate Modi on the NDA’s win, accepted the invitation to attend the ceremony.
Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, and Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth are also likely to be invited. Formal invitations to the foreign leaders will be sent on Thursday.
In 2019, 24 Union ministers took oath alongside Narendra Modi, with 24 ministers of state (MoS) and 9 MoS (independent charge) also sworn in by the President at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
This time, the Modi 3.0 Cabinet is expected to have greater representation from its allies, as the BJP did not achieve a majority on its own.
