Rashtrapati Bhavan readies for Modi 3.0: 9,000 guests in attendance, swearing-in ceremony at 7.15 pm

Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi is set to take oath today for a third straight term as the head of a coalition government after two full tenures in which the BJP enjoyed a majority on its own. Modi, 73, will be equalling the feat of first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who won in 1952, 1957 and 1962 general elections.

Ahead of the event, he was at Rajghat to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi.

The 2-hour-long function starts at 7.15 pm. Nearly 9,000 guests, including heads of states from neighboring countries and the Indian Ocean region, are attending the event. Among foreign leaders include Sri Lanka's President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Maldives' President Mohamed Muizzu, Seychelles' Vice-President Ahmed Afif, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', and Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay.

Special invitees include shramjeevis who contributed to the construction of the New Parliament Building and other key projects. Surekha Yadav, the first woman loco pilot of the Vande Bharat Express, is among the 10 loco pilots invited. Representatives of the transgender community and beneficiaries of various central government welfare schemes are also likely to attend.

The event's scale is similar to the 2019 ceremony when BIMSTEC leaders attended Modi’s swearing-in. In 2014, SAARC leaders were present when Modi took the oath as PM for the first time. The President's office announced, "The President will administer the Oath of Office and Secrecy to the Prime Minister and other members of the Union Council of Ministers on June 09, 2024, at 07.15 pm at Rashtrapati Bhavan," shortly after Modi addressed reporters from the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Due to the preparations, the Change of Guard Ceremony was not held on June 8 and will not take place for the next two weeks as the President will address both Houses of Parliament. The first Parliament session for the 18th Lok Sabha is likely to start on June 24.

Meanwhile, the Congress Working Committee, the party's top decision-making body, on Saturday passed a resolution to appoint Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha. During the party's extended CWC meeting, the newly-elected parliamentarians unanimously raised the demand of Rahul Gandhi to become the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

"CWC unanimously requested Rahul Gandhi to take the position of the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha. Rahul ji is the best person to lead this campaign inside Parliament," Congress leader KC Venugopal told a press conference after the meeting.