Narendra Modi oath ceremony: Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi is all set to take oath on Sunday (June 9) for a third straight term, equalling the feat of first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, amid hectic parleys involving the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership and allies over the share of berths of different constituents of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the new government.
Senior BJP leaders such as Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh besides party president JP Nadda have been consulting the allies, including Telugu Desam Party's N Chandrababu Naidu, JD(U)'s Nitish Kumar and Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde, to finalise their share of representation in the government.
Modi and his council of ministers will be sworn in by Murmu following the ruling National Democratic Alliance's victory in a keenly contested Lok Sabha election.
Visit to Raj Ghat, Sadaiv Atal
Modi will also visit Raj Ghat, Sadaiv Atal and National War Memorial ahead of his swearing-in ceremony in the national capital on Sunday morning.
Portfolio distribution
There is a viewpoint that heavyweight portfolios like home, finance, defence and external affairs besides education and culture, two ministries with strong ideological hues, will be kept by the BJP, while its allies can get anywhere between five to eight cabinet berths.
While leaders like Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh are seen within the party as a certainty in the new Cabinet, former chief ministers who have won the Lok Sabha polls like Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Basavaraj Bommai, Manohar Lal Khattar and Sarbananda Sonowal are strong contenders for joining the government.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan illuminated ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of PM-designate Narendra Modi on June 8.
Alliance leaders who may become part of Modi's cabinet
Ram Mohan Naidu of the TDP, Lalan Singh, Sanjay Jha and Ram Nath Thakur of the JD(U), and Chirag Paswan of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) are among the allies who may be a part of the new government, the sources said, adding that either Singh or Jha will be accommodated from the JD(U) quota.
Maharashtra, where the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP alliance has fared poorly, and Bihar, where the opposition has shown signs of revival, maybe in the focus during the government-formation exercise.
Assembly polls are due in the western state in October, while polls will be held in Bihar next year. Impending changes within the BJP's organisation will also be on the mind of its brain trust in finalising the names of ministers from the party.
Nadda's term was extended due to the Lok Sabha polls, and organisational imperatives will be an important consideration for the party as the poll results have sent signals that all may not be well within its vast machinery.
This opens the possibility of some seasoned hand being sent to the party and Nadda being given a berth in the government, the sources said.
The BJP is keen to send out a message of continuity and ward off any impression of political vulnerability following its surprising below-par show in the Lok Sabha polls as its seat tally fell to 240 from 303, considerably short of the majority mark of 272.
The government announced on Saturday (June 8) that leaders of several neighbouring countries, including those from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Mauritius, will be attending the swearing-in ceremony.
Security heightened in Delhi
Around 1,100 traffic staff of the Delhi Police have been deployed and an advisory has been issued to the public for the traffic movement and route arrangements have been made for the delegates as part of the arrangements for Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi's oath ceremony on Sunday.
According to the Delhi Police, this programme will be monitored by more than 500 CCTVs. Section 144 has also been imposed in the entire New Delhi. Given the swearing-in ceremony, many restrictions have been imposed by the Delhi Police for June 9 and 10. Delhi has been declared a no-flying zone. During this time, the flying of sub-conventional aerial platforms like paragliders, paramotors, hang gliders, UAVs, UAS, microlight aircraft, and remote-controlled aircraft has been banned in the national capital.
The Delhi Police has also issued an advisory on X, stating, "With effect from 09.06.2024, there will be a prohibition on flying of sub-conventional aerial platforms like para-gliders, para-motors, hang-gliders, UAVS, UASS, microlight aircraft, remotely piloted aircraft, hot air balloons, small sized powered aircraft, quadcopters or para-jumping from aircraft etc. over the jurisdiction of the NCT of Delhi in view of swearing-in ceremony in the National Capital Territory of Delhi to thwart criminal, anti-social elements or terrorists inimical to India from posing a threat to the safety of the general public, dignitaries and vital installations by using them".
Foreign delegates to attend Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony
Leaders from India's neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean Region are among the dignitaries and special invitees who will be attending the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi and his council of ministers at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday.
Surekha Yadav, the pilot of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus-Solapur Vande Bharat train in Maharashtra, is among 10 loco pilots of the Indian Railways who have also been invited to the ceremony.
Grand ceremony preparations
Necessary arrangements have been made for the guests, including designated enclosures for the council of ministers to be sworn in and the VVIPs, the officials said on Saturday. The Rashtrapati Bhavan shared a video of the preparation for the grand ceremony which showed a large number of chairs being arranged and covered with white cloth and the laying of a red carpet.
Special food menu on swearing-in ceremony
A selected cuisine and speciality of the Rashtrapati Bhavan kitchen would be served to the guests at a banquet to be hosted by President Droupadi Murmu after the swearing-in ceremony, the officials said. Leaders from India's neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean Region have been invited for the swearing-in ceremony scheduled to begin at 7.15 pm on Sunday, they added.
Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe, President of Maldives Mohamed Muizzu, Vice-President of Seychelles Ahmed Afif, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and Prime Minister of Bhutan Tshering Tobgay have accepted invitations to the ceremony.
Prachanda will be accompanied by his daughter Ganga Dahal, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Padam Giri and high-ranking officials of the government of Nepal.
The leaders of regional grouping SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries attended Modi's first swearing-in ceremony when he took the reins as the prime minister after a massive electoral victory for the BJP in 2014.
Leaders of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) countries attended Modi's swearing-in ceremony in 2019 when he became prime minister for the second consecutive term.
The Delhi Police has imposed prohibitory orders and declared the national capital a no-flying zone for June 9 and 10 for the ceremony.
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