Modi’s Third Term: Oath-Taking Ceremony Scheduled for June 8; Foreign Leaders to Attend

Narendra Modi is set to take the oath as the 16th Prime Minister of India on June 8, according to reports. The ceremony is expected to be attended by top leaders from neighboring countries, including Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Modi will be assuming office for a historic third consecutive term following the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) winning 293 seats in the Lok Sabha elections.

Sources indicate that leaders from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, and Mauritius are among those likely to be invited to Modi’s swearing-in ceremony. Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has confirmed his attendance after receiving an invitation from Modi. Similarly, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ have also accepted invitations. Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth are expected to be invited as well.

Formal invitations are set to be sent on Thursday. In previous terms, leaders from the SAARC countries attended Modi’s first swearing-in ceremony in 2014, and leaders from BIMSTEC countries attended in 2019.

Narendra Modi was unanimously elected as the leader of the NDA on Wednesday. NDA MPs will meet on June 7 to formally elect Modi as their leader before presenting their letters of support to the President. The meeting was attended by prominent leaders including TDP’s N Chandrababu Naidu, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, among others.

Despite the BJP not achieving a majority on its own, the party-led alliance secured 293 out of 543 seats, surpassing the majority mark of 272 in the Lower House.