New Delhi: Around 8,000 guests are expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Top Opposition leaders and several Chief Ministers, including non-NDA CMs like Telangana state’s K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Karnataka’s H.D. Kumaraswamy, corporate honchos, filmstars and a galaxy of leaders from the Bimstec countries will be present on the occasion.
Among foreign dignitaries invited to the ceremony, Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid was the first to reach New Delhi on Wednesday evening.
The others will arrive on Thursday morning and afternoon.
They include Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay Jeenbekov, Myanmar President Win Myint, Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Nepalese PM K.P. Sharma Oli, Bhutan PM Lotay Tshering and Thailand’s special envoy Grisada Boonrach.
This is for the first time that 8,000 guests will be attending a swearing-in ceremony.
Afterwards, the Rashtrapati Bhavan kitchen speciality “Dal Raisina” will be served to the foreign delegates at a dinner hosted by President Ram Nath Kovind.
Dal Raisina, a speciality of the Rashtrapati Bhavan kitchen, is cooked for about 48 hours and its main ingredients are brought from Lucknow.
The swearing-in ceremony will be of about 90 minutes, after which a dinner will be served to around 40 dignitaries, including vice-president M. Venkaiah Naidu and the PM, besides the leaders of all Bimstec countries.
“This is the first time 8,000 guests will be attending the swearing-in ceremony that will be held from 7 pm to 8.30 pm on Thursday,” said Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesperson Ashok Malik.
About 4,500-5,000 guests had attended such ceremonies earlier. There will be light snacks for guests attending the swearing-in like paneer tikka, the official said.
“There will be a dinner hosted by the President for about 40 guests. It will begin at 9 pm,” Mr Ashok Malik said.
