Modi 2.0: Oath-taking ceremony - all you should know

Post the staggering victory of the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Narendra Modi, the Parliamentary Chairperson of the BJP, will be sworn in as the Prime Minister on Thursday, May 30, according to reports.

Venue:

The event will take place at the Rashtrapati Bhavan at 7 pm. The oath-taking ceremony will be administered by President Ram Nath Kovind. This will be the fourth time that a Prime Minister takes oath at the Rashtrapati Bhavan's forecourt - the T-shaped path that leads to the main building from the main gate.

May 2014, the Rashtrapati Bhawan forecourt hosting the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and
his Council of Ministers. (Photo: rashtrapatisachivalaya.gov.in)

The ceremony, traditionally, takes place at Durbar Hall.

The first prime minister to be administered the oath of office in the forecourt was Chandra Shekhar in 1990. Atal Bihari Vajpayee also took oath here in 1998.

Modi was sworn in as PM in May 2014 at the forecourt with heads of state from the SAARC nations in attendance in a ceremony attended by nearly 5,000 guests.

The Guest List:

From political leaders to sportspersons and film stars, a record number of 6,000 guests are likely to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi.

Heads of state of 14 nations, ambassadors of various nations, public intellectuals, political activists, film stars and celebrities will attend the ceremony. Heads of national and regional parties have been invited, as are key senior politicians - according to The Economic Times.

Leaders of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation), which comprises Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan, have been invited for the swearing-in ceremony.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BIMSTEC leaders in a group photograph during the 4th BIMSTEC Summit,
in Kathmandu, Nepal on Friday, Aug 31, 2018. (PIB Photo via PTI)

A Foreign Ministry spokesperson told News Today, that the following overseas leader have confirmed their participation at the swearing-in ceremony of the Prime Minister:

Md Abdul Hamid, President of Bangladesh

Maithripala Sirisena, President of Sri Lanka

U Win Myint, President of Myanmar

Hon. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Prime Minister of Mauritius

Rt Hon K P Sharma Oli, Prime Minister of Nepal

Dr Lotay Tshering, Prime Minister of Bhutan

Grisada Boonrach, Special Envoy of Thailand

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will miss PM Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony for the second time as she will be on a three-nation foreign visit.

The government has also invited Kyrgyz President and current chair of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Sooronbay Jeenbekov who has confirmed his participation.

The list of chief ministers who are invited includes JD(S) leader and Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, Tamilnadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, AAP leader and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. YSR Congress Party president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister-designate Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao are also expected to attend the ceremony.

According to several media reports, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi will attend Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, on Wednesday, announced that she will not be attending Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony citing politicisation of an "august occasion to celebrate democracy".

Actor-turned-politicians Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth are also expected to join the ceremony.

Industrialists, Sportstars and Movie stars:

Industry bigwigs such as Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani and Ratan Tata have also been invited for the event, as per sources. Business honchos Ajay Piramal, John Chambers and Bill Gates have also been extended an invitation for the ceremony. IMF Managing Director and Chairman Christine Lagarde has also been invited, sources said.

Former sprinter P T Usha, cricketers Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Harbhajan Singh, badminton ace Saina Nehwal, badminton coach Pulella Gopichand and gymnast Dipa Karmakar are among the sports personalities invited to the ceremony, the sources said.

Several film stars, including Kangana Ranaut, Shah Rukh Khan, Sanjay Bhansali and Karan Johar have also been invited.

However, there was no confirmation on the invitees who have confirmed their presence.

The Menu:

Rashtrapati Bhavan will serve a light dinner for the visiting dignitaries besides high tea after the 7 pm ceremony, according to reports.

While the high tea will serve a vegetarian fare ranging from samosas to Rajbhog and lemon tarts, the dinner will include both vegetarian and non-vegetarian fare.

The President’s kitchen has taken into consideration that many visiting dignitaries are from countries to India’s east whose cuisine is usually not very rich or heavy, and the timing of the event will make it a rather late meal for them when compared to their local time.

The signature ‘Dal Raisina’, which will be the highlight of the dinner, is already being cooked. The cooking of this speciality of Rashtrapati Bhavan takes 48 hours and the process started on Tuesday night.

The Victory Wave:

Narendra Modi swept back to power on Thursday, lifted by a tidal wave of public support that helped the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) do the near-impossible and surpass its stunning 2014 performance.

Narendra Modi-led BJP has secured 302 seats alone in the 542-seat election. At 02.12 pm on May 23, the party was also leading on the last seat where counting was still underway.