Narendra Modi to take oath today amid India's 'Neighbourhood First' push: 10 points

Narendra Modi, along with his council of ministers, is expected to take oath of office at the Rashtrapati Bhavan at 7.15 pm.

Narendra Modi will today take oath as the Prime Minister of India at a mega event in the national capital. After having run two successive governments with massive mandates, the Bharatiya Janata Party stalwart will become the head of a coalition government. A host of foreign dignitaries, including several heads of neighbouring countries, will attend Modi's swearing-in ceremony.

Narendra Modi gives a speech after staking claim to form the new union government. (AFP file photo)

The Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the single-largest party after the Lok Sabha elections. However, the party's tally of 240 seats was 32 short of a simple majority in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the parliament.

Narendra Modi's third government will rely on the support of his National Democratic Alliance partners, N Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar, whose parties won a total of 28 Lok Sabha seats.

Modi and his council of ministers are expected to take oath of office at the Rashtrapati Bhavan at 7.15 pm.

Around 8000 people, including dignitaries from all walks of life, will attend the event.

Here are 10 points on Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony:

1. Several heads of states will attend Modi's oath ceremony. Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe, President of Maldives Mohamed Muizzu, Vice-President of Seychelles Ahmed Afif, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and Prime Minister of Bhutan Tshering Tobgay have accepted invitations to the event.
2. "The visit of the leaders to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister 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," the Ministry of External Affairs said.
3. In 2014 and 2019, the leaders of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) nations and BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) countries attended the oath-taking events, respectively.
4. Narendra Modi will equal Jawaharlal Nehru's record of becoming the prime minister of India the third time after completing two full terms.
5. In the wake of the swearing-in ceremony, massive security arrangements have been made in the national capital. The authorities have declared a no-flying zone for June 9 and 10, in view of the oath event. Almost 1,100 traffic staff have been deployed to manage the flow of traffic amid VIP movements.
6. The swearing-in ceremony comes amid hectic talks between the BJP leadership and its allies over cabinet berths. Senior BJP leaders such as Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, besides party president J P Nadda, have been speaking with Telugu Desam Party's N Chandrababu Naidu, JD(U)'s Nitish Kumar and Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde.
7. Ram Mohan Naidu of the TDP, Lalan Singh, Sanjay Jha and Ram Nath Thakur of the JD(U), and Chirag Paswan of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) may get the coveted cabinet berths, reported PTI.
8. The Opposition's INDIA bloc, which had sent overtures to N Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar after winning 234 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, have cast doubts on Modi's coalition government's longevity. The principal opposition party, Congress, has warned the BJP that it would take appropriate action at appropriate time.
9. After the ceremony, President Droupadi Murmu will host a banquet for the foreign dignitaries.
10. Meanwhile, Congress leader KC Venugopal said that the opposition leaders have not received any information from the government regarding the swearing-in ceremony of PM-designate Narendra Modi.