Narendra Modi is set to take oath as the Prime Minister for the third consecutive time on Saturday, following his selection as the leader by his allies during a key meeting in Delhi yesterday, sources reveal. This ceremony underscores the government’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, as top South Asian leaders have been invited to attend.
Leaders from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have already confirmed their attendance after direct conversations with PM Modi. Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office confirmed his acceptance of the invitation and congratulated PM Modi on his electoral success.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, one of the first foreign leaders to extend congratulations to PM Modi, will arrive in Delhi on Friday, according to reports from Bangladeshi media, highlighting the close and warm relationship between the two leaders.
Formal invitations have also been extended to Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, and Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth.
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Despite the BJP securing 240 seats, falling short of the halfway mark, the NDA has comfortably surpassed the required majority with 293 out of 543 seats in the Lok Sabha.
NDA partners, including Telugu Desam Party’s Chandrababu Naidu and Janata Dal-United leader Nitish Kumar, convened at the Prime Minister’s residence yesterday and unanimously selected PM Modi as the leader of the alliance.
In 2014, leaders of the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries attended PM Modi’s swearing-in ceremony, while in 2019, the event was attended by leaders of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) countries.
