Bangladesh PM, Sri Lankan President to be part of Modi’s swearing-in ceremony
Foreign leaders attending Narendra Modi‘s swearing-in ceremony for a third consecutive term include Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, according to reports.
Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck will also attend the swearing-in ceremony. Mauritius’ Prime Minister, Pravind Jugnauth, is also expected to be invited.
Modi likely to take oath on June 8
According to sources, Modi is expected to take oath on June 8 at 8 p.m., after the BJP-led NDA narrowly won 293 Lok Sabha seats. The opposition INDIA alliance won 234 seats, surprising exit election projections.
Also read: Italian PM Giorgia Meloni and others congratulate PM Modi, on winning the third Lok Sabha Election
Following the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, India invited BIMSTEC representatives to attend Modi’s swearing-in ceremony. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand make up the BIMSTEC region.
In 2019, the event attracted up to 8,000 attendees, including VVIPs.
All SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) leaders, including then-Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, attended Modi’s first term swearing-in ceremony in 2014.
On Wednesday, PM-elect Modi called Ranil Wickremesinghe and invited him to the swearing-in event, according to PTI.
Also read: Narendra Modi tenders resignation to President Murmu; Oath likely on June 8
“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 said.
Modi also spoke via phone with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and the two leaders agreed to continue working together to accomplish the visions of ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ and ‘Smart Bangladesh 2041’, according to ANI.
Sheikh Hasina, who was one of the first foreign leaders to congratulate Modi on the NDA’s victory, accepted the invitation to attend his swearing-in ceremony.
Formal invites to foreign leaders will be sent on Thursday.
In 2019, 24 Union ministers took oaths alongside Narendra Modi. The President swore in 24 ministers of state (MoS) and 9 MoS (independent charge) at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
This time the Modi 3.0 Cabinet is likely to see greater representation from its allies as the BJP fell short of achieving a majority on its own.
