Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi and his team of ministers took oath on Thursday for his second term as PM after leading NDA to power winning 352 of the 542 Lok Sabha seats.
The mega event, held in Rashtrapati Bhavan’s forecourt, was attended by 6000 people among them dignitaries, world leaders, film and sports stars and common people. Here is all you need to know about the swearing in ceremony:
When and where is the oath ceremony being held?
The ceremony started at 7 pm on Thursday with President Ram Nath Kovind administering the oath of office to the PM and his ministers. It is being held on the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan, the largest Presidential estate after Turkey’s Cumhurbaşkanlığı Külliyesi, the same venue as in 2014. The event then was attended by about 5,000 guests.
The forecourt is used for the ceremonial reception of visiting heads of State as also for the change of guard ceremony.
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{{/usCountry}}Also read: NDA II takes oath today, all eyes on Modi’s new team
{{/usCountry}}Who will attend?
Among the dignitaries present will be BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) leaders together with the Prime Minister of Mauritius and President of Kyrgystan. BIMSTEC member-states are Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand , Nepal and Bhutan.
United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, her son and Congress president Rahul Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh were also present.
West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee decided to skip the swearing-in, citing the BJP’s decision to invite relatives of 54 of its activists the ruling party says have died in political violence in West Bengal. Banerjee said there has been no political violence in the state.
However, Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik and Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel did not attend
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Sports icons Rahul Dravid, Saina Nehwal, Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Harbhajan Singh, former athlete PT Usha, badminton coach Pulella Gopichand and gymnast Dipa Karmakar were also invited to the event.
Industrialists Mukesh Ambani, Ratan Tata and Gautam Adani were also seen at the swearing in ceremony.
Bollywood personalities Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Rajnikanth and Kangana Ranaut were also expected to participate in the mega event.
Several overseas friends of BJP from 15 countries, including the US, Australia, Germany and the UK, have been invited, along with prominent opposition leaders and chief ministers.
Also present were ambassadors and diplomats of various countries.
What are the security measures in place?
Non-scheduled flights will not be allowed to take off or land between 4pm and 11pm on Thursday at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. The Airports Authority of India on Wednesday issued a NOTAM (notice to airmen) stating that Delhi airspace (within a 300 km radius of Delhi) will remain closed between 4pm and 11pm. Non-scheduled flights transiting through India will not be allowed to use Delhi airspace during the period. Commercial flights will not be affected.
Delhi Traffic Police, meanwhile, issued a traffic advisory, saying several roads in New Delhi district will be closed for the movement of traffic between 4pm and 9pm on Thursday and asked motorists to avoid them.
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What follows the ceremony?
The ceremony will be followed by a high tea on the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan and a dinner to be hosted by President Kovind for around 40 people.
The high tea will have snacks, including samosas, and paneer items apart from sweets.
The dinner will have both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options and include soup, fish, chicken, vegetables and the “Dal Raisina” - a variant of popular ‘maa ki dal’ that takes 48 hours to cook - among other delicacies.
The Prime Minister will also attend the dinner, along with some officials.