On Saturday, Narendra Modi will be sworn in as Prime Minister for the third consecutive time, after being chosen as the leader by his allies at a meeting in Delhi. The ceremony will be attended by top South Asian leaders as part of the government’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office has confirmed his attendance and congratulated PM Modi on his electoral victory. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was among the first foreign leaders to congratulate PM Modi, is set to arrive in Delhi on Friday ahead of the ceremony. Invitations have also been extended to other regional leaders like Nepal, Bhutan, and Mauritius.
Though the BJP did not reach the halfway mark on its own, the NDA alliance comfortably surpassed the required number of seats. NDA partners, including TDP’s Chandrababu Naidu and JD-U’s Nitish Kumar, unanimously chose PM Modi as their leader. In 2014, SAARC leaders attended PM Modi’s swearing-in ceremony, while in 2019, BIMSTEC leaders are expected to join the event.
