Preparations complete, guests have started arriving, today Modi will create history by taking oath as Prime Minister for the third time

New Delhi: Narendra Modi will take oath as Prime Minister for the third consecutive term as the head of a coalition government on Sunday. The Bharatiya Janata Party has not got an absolute majority on its own in the elections this time after two full terms of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. Modi will be the second leader to achieve this feat after the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Nehru had won the general elections of 1952, 1957 and 1962. Leaders of India’s neighbouring countries and countries of the Indian Ocean region, besides dignitaries and special invitees are expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the Prime Minister and his/her Council of Ministers at 7.15 pm at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Many foreign guests will be present at the swearing-in ceremony
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, Seychelles Vice President Ahmed Afeef, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay have accepted the invitation for the ceremony. The Ministry of External Affairs said, “The visit of the leaders to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi for his/her third consecutive term is in consonance with the highest priority accorded by India to its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy and ‘SAGAR’ vision.”

The leaders of the SAARC group attended Modi’s first swearing-in ceremony
Leaders of regional grouping SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries attended Modi’s first swearing-in ceremony when he/she took over as prime minister after the BJP’s landslide electoral victory. When Modi became prime minister for the second consecutive time in 2019, his/her swearing-in ceremony was attended by leaders of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) countries. People from different fields have also been invited to the ceremony. Surekha Yadav, pilot of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus-Solapur Vande Bharat train in Maharashtra, is among the 10 loco pilots of Indian Railways who have been invited.

Preparations for oath taking ceremony complete
Officials said on Saturday that all the necessary arrangements have been made for the guests, including the designated courtyard for the swearing-in council of ministers and VVIPs. Rashtrapati Bhavan shared pictures of preparations for the grand ceremony, where chairs, red carpet and other decorations have been put in place for the ceremony. Delhi Police has beefed up security by imposing Section 144 and the national capital has been declared a no-fly zone on June 9 and 10 for the ceremony.

Opposition did not get invitation for oath taking ceremony!
The BJP is trying to send a message of continuity and dispel any perception of political weakness after its surprisingly poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections. The party got 240 seats in these general elections, 32 short of the majority figure. The party had won 303 seats in the 2019 elections. The main opposition Congress said that its leaders have not yet received an invitation for the swearing-in ceremony, while Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee announced that her party will not attend the ceremony. Banerjee said in Kolkata, “Neither have we received any invitation nor are we attending it.” Meanwhile, intense discussions are going on between the BJP leadership and allies about the share of ministers in the council of ministers for various NDA components in the new government.

Who will get which ministry?
Senior BJP leaders like Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, besides party president J.P. Nadda are consulting allies including Telugu Desam Party’s N. Chandrababu Naidu, Janata Dal United’s (JDU) Nitish Kumar and Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde regarding representation in the government. It is believed that apart from important departments like Home, Finance, Defence and Foreign Affairs, ministries with two strong ideological aspects like Education and Culture will remain with the BJP, while its allies may get five to eight cabinet posts.

Which leaders can be included in Modi’s cabinet?
While within the party, leaders like Shah and Singh are considered certain to be included in the new cabinet, former chief ministers who won the Lok Sabha elections like Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Basavaraj Bommai, Manohar Lal Khattar and Sarbananda Sonowal are strong contenders to be included in the government. Sources said Telugu Desam Party’s (TDP) Ram Mohan Naidu, JD(U)’s Lalan Singh, Sanjay Jha and Ram Nath Thakur and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas)’s Chirag Paswan are among the allies who may be part of the new government. Singh or Jha will be included from the JD(U) quota. Maharashtra, where the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP alliance has performed poorly, and Bihar, where the opposition has shown signs of a comeback, may be at the centre of the government formation exercise.

There may be changes in the BJP organization as well
Maharashtra is due to go to assembly polls in October, while Bihar will go to polls next year. Changes in the BJP’s organisation will also be on the selectors’ minds while finalising the names of the party’s ministers. Nadda’s term was extended because of the Lok Sabha elections, and organisational imperatives will be a key consideration for the party, as the election results have indicated that all may not be well in its sprawling machinery.

Sources said this also raised the possibility of an experienced person being sent in the party and Nadda being given a place in the government. The departure of a section of voters, especially the Scheduled Castes and other disadvantaged sections of the society, from the party could also be a deciding factor in government formation, though Modi had stressed on increasing their relative representation during his/her tenure. Nehru is the only Prime Minister who remained in office even after three consecutive elections after independence.

The Congress, however, claimed the results were a “moral, political and personal defeat” of Modi and questioned the comparison with Nehru. Party general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the country’s first prime minister had got a two-thirds majority in all three terms. The BJP hit back, saying Nehru had “no challenge” and was only “losing to himself”. “That’s how he/she was. Now sit down. Tomorrow is the swearing-in ceremony. You can either attend the ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan or watch it on TV,” BJP IT chief Amit Malviya said on Twitter in response to Ramesh’s post. “Meanwhile, console Rahul Gandhi. Tell him/her 240 is bigger than 99,” he/she added.

(With inputs from news agency)