New Delhi

Narendra Modi is set to be sworn in as Prime Minister for the third consecutive term on June 9. He would lead the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government asfter taking oath at 7:15 PM, Sunday.

This is an extraordinary event as Narendra Modi is the only leader after former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru who has been elected for a third consecutive term after completing the full tenure of each previous term.

Alongside Narendra Modi, members of his council of ministers will also take their oath on the same day.

Around 1,100 traffic police personnel of the Delhi Police have been deployed and an advisory has been issued to the public for the traffic movement and route arrangements have been made for the delegates as part of the arrangements for Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi's oath ceremony on Sunday.

Speaking to ANI, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Traffic, Prashant Gautam said, "Almost 1,100 traffic staff have been deployed. They have been briefed about all the instructions. We have done all the rehearsals. An advisory has been issued for the general public for the traffic movement."

"Proper arrangements have been made for the foreign delegates and the heads of state who will be arriving for the oath ceremony. Route arrangements have been made and a control zone has also been prepared," said the DCP.

Several leaders and State heads of neighbourhood region and Indian Ocean region have been invited for PM Modi's swearing-in ceremony as distinguished guests, a testament to India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in an official statement on Saturday said, "President of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe; President of Maldives, Mohamed Muizzu; Vice-President of Seychelles, Ahmed Afif; Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina; Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth; Prime Minister of Nepal, Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'; and Prime Minister of Bhutan, Tshering Tobgay, have accepted the invitation to attend."

Since 2014, India has given the highest priority to its like-minded and long-standing strategic partners, consolidating relationships which are based on the principles of SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region), 'Neighbourhood First' policy and the 'Five S' vision of Sammaan (Respect), Samvaad (Dialogue), Sahyog (Cooperation), Shanti (Peace) and Samriddhi (Prosperity) articulated by PM Modi.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was among the first foreign leaders to congratulate Prime Minister Modi after the BJP-led NDA's third straight victory in the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections, was also one of the first distinguished guests to set foot in New Delhi on Saturday for the swearing-in ceremony.

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, who has termed Sunday's swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Modi as a "historic event", is also looking forward to further strengthening the close relations between the two countries during his visit.

After he was presented PM Modi's invitation by India's High Commissioner to Maldives Munu Mahawar on Saturday, Muizzu noted that the bilateral relations are heading in a "positive direction", as would be demonstrated by his visit.

Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan also strongly believes that PM Modi's third term will not only strengthen bilateral relations, but also help in strongly addressing the "multiple global and regional challenges" that confront both the nations in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who will be arriving in New Delhi by Sunday afternoon, has emphasised that, as the closest neighbour, the island nation is looking forward to further strengthening its partnership with India.

Apart from the leaders and state heads, more than 250 workers who were involved in the construction of the Parliament will also come to BJP leader Mansukh Mandaviya's residence at 3 pm and go to the President's house to participate in the oath taking ceremony of Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi.

Meanwhile, highlighting the significance of the event, the MEA emphasised, "The visit of the leaders to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his third consecutive term is in keeping with the highest priority accorded by India to its 'Neighbourhood First' policy and 'SAGAR' vision."

Additionally, the MEA mentioned that besides participating in the swearing-in ceremony, the leaders will also grace a banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan, later in the same evening.

PM Modi's invitation to neighbouring leaders reflects India's ongoing efforts to engage with countries in the region. In 2014, he convened leaders from SAARC nations, and in 2019, he invited countries from the BIMSTEC group.

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Meanwhile, Congress leader KC Venugopal said that the opposition leaders have not received any information from the government regarding the swearing-in ceremony of PM-designate Narendra Modi.