The spotlight remains on allies N Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar who have played an impactful role in the government formation of the NDA for the third as the BJP failed to get to the majority mark on its own. Naidu with 16 MPs and Nitish Kumar with 12 hold ace up their sleeves and are expected to bag plum posts in the NDA government. The BJP, however, is expected to keep key portfolios with itself.
Meanwhile, the INDIA Bloc has claimed that the Opposition leaders have not received invites for the swearing-in ceremony. Congress general secretary KC Venugopal claimed they have not received any information from the government requesting them to attend Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony.
“So far we have not received any information from the government. We have not received any invitation…foreign leaders have been invited. Being the principal opposition party and the INDIA bloc leadership, we have not been informed. I do not know what the mood of the government is,” the senior leader said.
World leaders who will witness Narendra Modi take oath on Sunday
The swearing-in ceremony will be attended by leaders from India’s neighbourhood and Indian Ocean region.
They include the President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe, 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.
Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu will also attend the ceremony amid strained ties. Accepting the invite, he said he would be honoured to attend the swearing-in ceremony and his visit to India for the historic event would demonstrate that bilateral ties between the two countries are heading in a positive direction. Like 2019, India has not sent an official invite to Pakistan this time.
In addition to participating in the swearing-in ceremony, the leaders will attend a Banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan, on the same evening.
The visit of the leaders to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for his third consecutive term is in keeping with the highest priority accorded by India to its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy and ‘SAGAR’ vision.
Multi-layered security, Delhi on high alert
The Rashtrapati Bhawan will be under a five-layered security blanket on June 9 for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 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 will be provided to the attending dignitaries for their travel between their hotels and the venue. Top leaders from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Bhutan, Nepal, Mauritius, and Seychelles are expected to attend the ceremony. 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.
The Rashtrapati Bhawan will have a three-layered security system, with Delhi Police personnel at the outer ring, paramilitary personnel in the middle, and the President’s house’s internal security at the inner ring. Approximately 2500 police personnel, including five companies of paramilitary and Delhi Armed Police (DAP) jawans, will be deployed around the venue.
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 agency inputs)
