Acting Prime Minister Narendra Modi will invite some neighboring nations to his oath-taking ceremony on June 8, said informed people on Wednesday. These countries include Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Mauritius.
The acting PM has already invited Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe to his swearing-in event. Wickremesinghe congratulated Narendra Modi over the phone for the BJP-led NDA’s election win.
“During the call, Prime Minister @narendramodi invited President Wickremesinghe to his swearing-in ceremony, which President @RW_UNP accepted,” said a post from the President’s Media Division of Sri Lanka on X (formerly Twitter).
Modi also spoke on the phone with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and invited her to attend his oath ceremony. Hasina accepted his invitation, according to sources quoted by PTI.
The above sources also said that the Prime Ministers of Bhutan (Tshering Tobgay), Mauritius (Pravind Jugnauth), and Nepal (Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’) will also be invited to the event. Formal invitations will be sent on Thursday, June 6.
Modi will become prime minister for an unprecedented third consecutive term, following the BJP-led NDA securing 293 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP did not get a majority on its own, but the NDA alliance managed 293 out of 543 seats. The majority needed is 272 seats.
With support from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Janata Dal-United (JDU), seen as potential “kingmakers,” the formation of the BJP-led NDA government is set to happen. Modi’s swearing-in is likely on June 8.
When Modi first became PM after the BJP’s big win, leaders of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries attended his oath ceremony.
In 2019, leaders of BIMSTEC countries attended Modi’s swearing-in for his second consecutive term as PM.