Narendra Modi is set to take oath as the Prime Minister for a third straight term on June 9 in the presence of several global heads from India's neighbourhood. Modi will be equalling the feat of first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who won in 1952, 1957 and 1962 general elections.
As Modi gears up for the swearing-in ceremony set to take place at around 7:15 pm today, all eyes are also on whether the opposition bloc INDIA, which put up a strong show in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election will be a part of the event or not.
Will INDIA bloc attend PM Modi's swearing-in ceremony?
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, news agency ANI reported citing sources. The decision was taken after a discussion within the party as well as the allies, the report added.
An invite was sent to Kharge and Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi for the ceremony.
A day back, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh had accused the saffron party of sending invites only to international leaders. "The person taking the oath has lost his personal, political and moral authority. Mandate was sought in his (Modi) name, he did not get it, and we don't understand why this drama of swearing-in is being undertaken," Ramesh said after a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party.
The BJP alone could not get a majority in the recent Lok Sabha elections while the party-led alliance secured 293 seats out of 543. The Congress got 99 seats in the polls. The majority mark in the lower house is 272.
Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has said it would not attend the swearing-in ceremony.
"BJP leader Prahlad Joshi had called and invited us to attend the swearing-in ceremony, but our party has decided not to participate," said Sudip Bandyopadhyay, the party's leader in the Lok Sabha.
(With inputs from agencies)
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