Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to take oath of office for the third time on Saturday, with leaders from neighbouring countries confirming their attendance after receiving personal invitations from Modi.
Notably absent from the guest list, however, is Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is currently on a five-day visit to China until June 10 and is likely to be unable to attend the ceremony scheduled on June 9.
Modi’s first oath ceremony in 2014 had all SAARC leaders in attendance, including then-Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Leaders from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and Mauritius are expected to be in Delhi for the upcoming event. They include Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Nepalese PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', Bhutanese PM Tshering Tobgay, and Mauritius PM Pravind Jugnauth, who was the first world leader to congratulate Modi on his victory.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden became the first leader from a major nation to call Modi and congratulate him on his party's third consecutive victory in the General Election.
Biden said, “I look forward to working with you and your government to further strengthen the close and enduring partnership between our two nations.”
The White House hailed the election results as a "historic victory" for the Modi-led NDA, stressing their commitment to further strengthen the bilateral ties.
Biden is expected to dispatch his National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to engage with the new Indian government on shared US-India priorities, including their trusted, strategic technology partnership.
Biden dialled up Modi five days before the much anticipated G7 summit in Italy. Reports also indicate that Modi may potentially attend the "Peace Summit" on Ukraine in Switzerland.
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