The swearing-in ceremony of Modi and his cabinet will be held in the presence of a large gathering of national and international dignitaries. President Droupadi Murmu will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the Prime Minister and other members of the Union Council of Ministers.
This is an extraordinary event as Narendra Modi is the only leader after former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru who has been elected for a third consecutive term after completing the full tenure of each previous term.
Several leaders and State heads of neighbourhood region and Indian Ocean region have been invited for PM Modi’s swearing-in ceremony as distinguished guests, a testament to India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.
Special guests for Modi’s oath-taking ceremony
- President of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe; President of Maldives, Mohamed Muizzu; Vice-President of Seychelles, Ahmed Afif; Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina; Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth; Prime Minister of Nepal, Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’; and Prime Minister of Bhutan, Tshering Tobgay, will attend the oath-taking event.
- Apart from the leaders and state heads, more than 250 workers who were involved in the construction of the Parliament will also participate in the oath-taking ceremony of Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi.
- Also invited to the ceremony are people from different walks of life. Surekha Yadav, the pilot of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus-Solapur Vande Bharat train in Maharashtra, is among 10 loco pilots of the Indian Railways who have been invited.
- Rat-hole miners who assisted in rescuing 41 trapped construction workers in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi collapsed tunnel last year have also been invited, according to several media reports.
- Several distinguished religious leaders, lawyers, doctors, artists, cultural performers, and influencers will also attend the oath-taking ceremony. Reportedly, participants acknowledged by Modi in ‘Mann Ki Baat’, along with Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri awardees, will be in attendance.
- Seating arrangements has been done for over 8,000 guests who will be attending the ceremony. The list has been prepared and invitation cards have been sent. The guest list includes labourers, lawyers, doctors, artists, cultural performers, and influencers.
- Congress chief
Mallikarjun Kharge , outgoing MPs, BJP leaders, and other MPs, MLAs, and MLCs will also be present at the event.
Delhi on high alert
The Rashtrapati Bhawan will be under a five-layered security blanket for the swearing-in ceremony. The security measures will include paramilitary personnel, NSG commandoes, drones, and snipers. As dignitaries from SAARC nations have been invited, Delhi will remain on high alert.
Designated routes have been provided to the attending dignitaries for their travel between their hotels and the venue. Several hotels in the city, such as Leela, Taj, ITC Maurya, Claridges, and Oberoi, are already under security cover.
The President’s house and various strategic locations will have Swat and NSG commandoes deployed. The Delhi Police have conducted multiple meetings to develop a comprehensive security plan for the event.
All eyes on Modi’s cabinet
According to sources, former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy and two BJP MPs from the state are likely to be inducted into Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet. The two BJP MPs who are expected to be inducted into the cabinet are Pratap Simha from Mysuru and Tejasvi Surya from Bangalore South. Simha is currently serving his second term as an MP, while Surya is a first-time MP who has been a vocal supporter of the BJP government at the Centre.
Naidu’s TDP has also asked for at least two to four cabinet births. Sena, NCP are also likely to bag berths in the new cabinet.
(With ANI inputs)