Leaders and representatives of eight countries, including Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Bangladeshi President Abdul Hamid have confirmed their participation in the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the official spokesperson said.
The following leaders will attend the ceremony scheduled to take place on May 30 in Rashtrapati Bhawan:
1. Abdul Hamid, President of Bangladesh2. Maithripala Sirisena, President of Sri Lanka3. Sooronbay Jeenbekov, President of the Kyrgyz Republic4. U Win Myint, President of Myanmar5. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Prime Minister of Mauritius6. KP Sharma Oli, Prime Minister of Nepal7. Dr Lotay Tshering, Prime Minister of Bhutan
The Special Envoy of Thailand, Grisada Boonrach, will also attend the event.
Back home, heads of national and regional parties have also been invited for the swearing-in ceremony. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, whose bitter war of words with Modi was at the centre of Lok Sabha election campaign, has accepted the invitation.
In 2014, when Modi won his first term, all the SAARC leaders, including the then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif attended the swearing-in as part of invitations extended to all the member countries of the South Asian grouping.
Riding on muscular nationalism and a strident anti-Congress plank spearheaded by Modi, the BJP on May 23 got an overwhelming majority in the Lok Sabha, crossing on its own the 300 seat mark while storming back to power for the second consecutive term. Modi will take oath for a second consecutive term as Prime Minister on May 30 at 7 pm in Rashtrapati Bhavan, along with members of the Union Council of Ministers.
( With inputs from ANI )