Maldives President Mohammad Muizzu invited to Modi's swearing-in ceremony

The invitation to Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu was sent a day after he congratulated Modi on the BJP-led NDA victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections

India has extended an invitation to Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the weekend. Muizzu joins a distinguished group of leaders from neighbouring countries, including Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, who will witness Modi assuming office for the third consecutive term.

The invitation to Muizzu was sent a day after he congratulated Modi on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“Congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the BJP and BJP-led NDA, on the success in the 2024 Indian General Election, for the third consecutive term. I look forward to working together to advance our shared interests in pursuit of shared prosperity and stability for our two countries,” Muizzu said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

 

Leaders from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, and Mauritius are likely to be among the foreign leaders to be invited to Modi’s oath-taking ceremony. The media division of Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office confirmed that Modi had invited Wickremesinghe, who accepted the invitation and congratulated Modi on his electoral victory during a phone call.

“During the conversation, Prime Minister @narendramodi invited President Wickremesinghe to his swearing-in ceremony, which President @RW_UNP accepted,” the statement read.

Similarly, Modi extended an invitation to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has also accepted, according to diplomatic sources. 

Invitations are expected to be sent to Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, and Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth. The formal invitations are set to be sent on Thursday, sources added.

In 2014, leaders from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries attended Modi’s first swearing-in ceremony. In 2019, the ceremony saw the attendance of leaders from the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) countries.

Modi is expected to take his oath this weekend. Although the Bharatiya Janata Party did not secure a majority on its own, the party-led alliance won 293 out of 543 seats in the Lower House, surpassing the majority mark of 272.