Modi will take oath as Prime Minister for the second time at 7 pm at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and newly-sworn in Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy will give a miss to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony on Thursday.
KCR, who attended the swearing-in ceremony of Reddy earlier today, was to fly out to Delhi to attend Modi's oath taking. They, however, could not fly as the flights were not getting clearance from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to land in New Delhi between 4 pm and 7 pm, reports said.
Modi will take oath as Prime Minister for the second time at 7 pm Thursday.
The swearing-in ceremony in the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan is expected to be a grand affair with more than 6,000 guests, including leaders from the BIMSTEC countries, opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, chief ministers, corporate honchos and film stars set to be in attendance as President Ram Nath Kovind administers the oath of office and secrecy to 68-year-old Modi and his ministerial colleagues.
India invited leaders of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) countries as well as Kyrgyz President Jeenbekov, the current chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and Mauritius PM Jugnauth for the Modi's swearing-in.
1. Jagan Reddy, KCR to skip Modi's swearing-in
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Newly-sworn in Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy will give a miss to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony on Thursday. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who attended the swearing-in ceremony of Reddy earlier today, was to also attend the ceremony is Delhi. Both were forced to abandon plans as their flights were not getting clearance from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to land in New Delhi between 4 pm and 7 pm.
2. After confirming, furious Mamata does U-turn
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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will not attend the oath-taking ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. Banerjee had on Tuesday received an invitation and told reporters she would attend the event as a matter of "constitutional courtesy" after having spoken to a couple of chief ministers of other states.
However, after it transpired that family members of over 40 BJP workers, who were killed in political violence in West Bengal in the last one year, have also been invited, a livid Banerjee said she will not attend as the "occasion to celebrate democracy should not be devalued to score political points".
"Congratulations, new Prime Minister, Narendra Modi ji. It was my plan to accept the 'Constitutional invitation' and attend the oath-taking ceremony. However in the last one hour, I am seeing media reports that the BJP are claiming people have been murdered in political violence in Bengal.
"This is completely untrue. There have been no political murders in Bengal. These deaths may have occurred due to personal enmity, family quarrels and other disputes; nothing related to politics. There is no such record with us," she wrote on Twitter. Banerjee said she, therefore, was "compelled" not to attend the ceremony.
3. Amarinder Singh, Bhupesh Baghel too skip ceremony
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Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh will not attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony in New Delhi, the Chief Minister's media advisor Raveen Thukral informed.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath will also skip the event.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel too had opted out of the oath-taking ceremony citing different reasons.
"I want to congratulate PM Modi. Due to prior commitments, I will not be able to go for his oath ceremony tomorrow. I have sought time from PMO to meet him later," Baghel tweeted.
4. Puducherry CM to attend ceremony
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Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, along with newly-elected MP V Vaithilingam, left for Delhi to attend the swearing-in of Modi as the prime minister for the second consecutive term.
5. Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik not to attend Modi's swearing-in
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Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday announced that he will not be attending Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony on Thursday due to prior commitments.
"I want to congratulate PM Modi. Due to prior commitments, I will not be able to go for his oath ceremony tomorrow. I have sought time from PMO to meet him later," Baghel tweeted.
Patnaik conveyed his good wishes to the Prime Minister and his council of ministers and said he won't be able to attend the ceremony as he will be busy in the swearing-in ceremony of his cabinet ministers.
"The newly elected members of the 16th Vidhan Sabha will take oath tomorrow. As a leader of the house, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has to remain present during the occasion. Thus, he is unable to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister and his council of ministers tomorrow," an official statement read.
