This is the first time leaders from SAARC nations have been invited for the oath-taking ceremony of an Indian prime minister. The external affairs ministry Friday said eight heads of state and government were invited and seven have confirmed, while a response from Pakistan is awaited.
Modi will be the third Indian prime minister to take oath in the open forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan instead of the ceremonial Ashoka Hall after Chandra Shekhar (1990) and Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1998).
