NEW DELHI: Capping a landslide election victory, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take oath along with a new council of ministers on Thursday for a second term, as suspense mounted on who will get the Big Four berths-Home, Finance, Defence and External Affairs.
Top opposition leaders, corporate top honchos, film stars, chief ministers and a galaxy of leaders from BIMSTEC countries will be on hand to watch President Ram Nath Kovind administer the oath of office and secrecy to 68-year-old Modi and his ministerial colleagues at the forecourt of majestic Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Modi and BJP president Amit Shah held a marathon meeting for the second consecutive day on Wednesday during which they are learnt to have finalised the broad contours of the new ministry that is expected to have some new faces besides retaining most of the senior ministers.
Many BJP leaders are of the view that most key members of the previous Cabinet could be retained.
Some changes, though, are likely to be made to accommodate allies like Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United and the Akali Dal and also to ensure representation of Bengal, Odisha and the northeast - new zones that have embraced the party.
Nearly 8,000 guests will attend the swearing-in of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday, making it the biggest-ever event held in the historic premises.
While the guests attending the event will be treated to high tea, President Ram Nath Kovind will host a private dinner for the leaders from Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) countries as well as Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov and Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth - who have all confirmed their presence.
The visiting foreign dignitaries will be treated to the choicest vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes that include soup, fish, chicken, vegetables and "Dal Raisina" - a special delicacy of the Rashtrapati Bhavan that takes 48 hours to cook - among other delicacies. The swearing-in will be held in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan, the same venue as in 2014.
The Bimstec leaders attending the event include Bangladeshi President Abdul Hamid, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, Myanmarese President U Win Myint, Nepali Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering. Thailand will be represented by its Special Envoy Grisada Boonrach.
The chief ministers of Congress-ruled states, the chief ministers of Odisha, Kerala and Bengal will skip the ceremony.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Telangana CM, YSRCP president Jagan Mohan Reddy are also expected to show up at the grand event.
The invitation to opposition leaders is seen as Modi's move to reach out to them following the fiercely fought election in which the BJP registered a massive victory.