Kathmandu [Nepal], June 8 (ANI): Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe will arrive in the national capital on June 9 to attend the ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Nepal’s PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal confirmed his visit following a telephonic conversation with PM Modi on Wednesday evening, during which PM Modi extended an invitation to his Nepali counterpart for the ceremony.
The Nepali Prime Minister, in turn, confirmed his attendance, with a formal announcement expected soon.
“During Wednesday evening’s telephonic conversation between two leaders, the invitation was extended to the Nepali PM for attendance in the swearing-in ceremony. The Nepali Prime Minister also confirmed the attendance. A formal announcement will be made soon,” the senior official told ANI seeking anonymity.
This development comes after PM Dahal, commonly known as ‘Prachanda’, extended his congratulations to PM Modi on Tuesday for the “electoral success” of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the recent Lok Sabha elections, marking their third consecutive term.
Prachanda also commended the enthusiastic participation of the Indian electorate, hailing the completion of the world’s largest democratic exercise.
On the same day, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe also accepted PM Modi’s invitation to attend his swearing-in ceremony.
Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe congratulated PM Modi on the BJP-led NDA’s electoral victory over a phone call.
During his conversation, PM Modi invited President Wickremesinghe to his oath ceremony, which the Sri Lankan president accepted.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will leave Dhaka on June 8 to attend the swearing-in ceremony of PM Modi.
“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will leave Dhaka for Delhi at 11 am on Saturday, June 8 and will return home at noon on June 10 after attending the swearing-in ceremony of PM Narendra Modi, due to the change in the oath-taking ceremony dates,” said Bangladesh PM’s Speech Writer, M Nazrul Islam.
PM Modi will take the oath on June 9 after the BJP-led NDA surpassed the majority mark, winning 293 seats in the 18th Lok Sabha elections, while the opposition INDIA bloc secured 234 seats. Earlier, the swearing-in ceremony was scheduled to be held on June 8.
The counting of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections was held on Tuesday. According to the Election Commission of India, the BJP won 240 seats, much lower than its 2019 tally of 303.
The main opposition Congress, on the other hand, registered a strong growth, winning 99 seats against 52 in 2019. (ANI)
