4,000 guests expected for Modi’s swearing-in today

With senior BJP leaders, politicians from across the spectrum, SAARC leaders as well as other dignitaries set to be in attendance, elaborate arrangements are being made for Narendra Modi’s oath-taking ceremony as the 14th Prime Minister of India, today.

Security will be tight, with arrangements similar to those for the Republic Day parade. About 4,000 guests are expected to attend the swearing-in, which will be the biggest such event by far. The previous highest turnout was for Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s swearing-in in 1998, which saw around 1,200 guests.

Multiple layers of security Around 6,000 personnel will be deployed in a multi-layered security cordon, with National Security Guards commandos responsible for the inner-most layer.

The Indian Air Force is also putting in place an air defence system to secure the skies. Anti-aircraft guns have been placed in key locations. Snipers will be deployed at all high-rise buildings around the area hours before the ceremony begins at 6 pm.

Apart from paramilitary and Delhi Police commandos, Special Weapons and Tactics mobile hit teams have been deployed to secure the entire area. Dog squads and bomb-disposal squads have already sanitised the venue but the drill will be repeated on the day of the ceremony.

The invitees also include members of the outgoing Government, all the members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Governors and Chief Ministers, around 150 envoys based in the capital, and film celebrities.

Meanwhile, no official word was available till late in the evening as to who would be part of the 63-year-old Modi’s Cabinet. The buzz is that 40 elected representatives are likely to be sworn in on Monday along with the newly elected Prime Minister.

BJP leaders Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley, Nitin Gadkari, Sushma Swaraj, Ananth Kumar, Venkaiah Naidu, Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Ravi Shankar Prasad, apart from coalition partners such as Ram Vilas Paswan (LJP), Anant Geete (Shiv Sena) and Ashok Gajapathi Raju (TDP) are some of the names in the reckoning.

It is expected that Modi’s council of ministers will be smaller, with around 40-50 members, than that of the previous Government (71 ministers), in keeping with his promise of “minimum government, maximum governance”.