Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu is among the top leaders who will be attending the swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi that is likely to take p𝓡lace on June 9. The Narendra Modi and Bharat⭕iya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won a reduced majority in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections 2024.
The invitation to Mohamed Muizzu assumes significance as it came amid fr꧑osty ties between the two countꦐries.
The ties between India and the Maldives♓ came under severe strain since November last year when Muizzu, known for🔜 his pro-China leanings, took charge as Maldivian president.
India-Maldives ties strained further in January this year when a few ministers from the island nation passed controversial comments on Prime M𒈔inister Narendra Modi's pictures from Lakshadweep.
Top Leaders Attending Modi's Swearing-In
Apart from Maldives, top leaders of Bangladesh, Sri Lankꦡa, Bhutan, Nepal, Mauritius and Seychelles are likely to attend the swearing-in ceremony of PM Modi over the weekend.
It is learnt that India has already sent invites to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Sri Lankan Presideꦍnt Ranil Wickremesinghe and some other leaders of the countries chosen to grace the ceremony.
Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', Bhutanese Prime Minister Tsh🌌ering Tobgay, Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth and President of Seychelles Wavel Ramkalawan are among the leaders being invited to Modi's swearing💫-in ceremony.
Modi is all set to take charge as the prime minister for a historic third consecutive term with the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Allian🅷ce (NDA) winnin﷽g 293 seats in the Lok Sabha polls.
The guest list of foreign leaders for Modi's swearing-in ceremony was primarily guided by New Delhi's "Neighbourhood First Policy" and its strategic focus on island nations considered important in the India💎n Ocean r﷽egion, it is learnt.
The media division of President Wickremesinghe's office on Wednesday said Modi invited him to th🧸e swearing-in ceremony during a phone conversation. It🧜 said Wickremesinghe accepted the invite.
"During the conversation, Prime Minister @narendramodi invited President Wickremesinghe to his swearing-in cer♉emony, which President @RW_🗹UNP accepted," it said on X.
The leaders of regional grouping SAARC (South Aꦆsian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries attended Modi's first swearing ceremon⛦y when he took the reins as the prime minister after a massive electoral victory for BJP.
Leaders of the BIMSTEC countries attended Modi's swearing-in ceremony, in 2019 when he became prime minister for the second consecutive﷽ term.
Though the BJP could not get a majority on its own in the polls, the party-led alliance secured 293 seats out of 543. The majority mark in the lowerღ hou𝓰se is 272.
