Modi 3.0: Regional leaders arrive in Delhi to attend the oath ceremony

Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi arrives with Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande and Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi to pay tribute at the National War Memorial (Rashtriya Samar Smarak), ahead of his swearing-in ceremony as prime minister for the third consecutive term, New Delhi (Pic/ PTI)

Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu and Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay arrived in Delhi on Sunday to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi.

After Muizzu became the island nation's president on November 17 last year, it is his first visit to India, since then.

The leaders of seven nations from India's neighboring regions and the Indian Ocean region, including Jugnauth, Muizzu, and Tobgay, are present at the Rashtrapati Bhavan this evening for Modi and his council of ministers' swearing-in ceremony.

A spokesman for the external affairs ministry, Randhir Jaiswal, stated on "X," "President @MMuizzu of the Maldives arrives to a warm welcome in New Delhi to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers."

"India and Maldives are maritime partners and close neighbours," he stated.

Ahmed Afif, the vice president of the Seychelles, and Sheikh Hasina, the president of Bangladesh, arrived in Delhi on Saturday, said the reports from PTI.

Following Tobgay's arrival, Jaiswal declared that the visit would "further strengthen close bonds of friendship and cooperation between India and Bhutan."

Leaders Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' of Nepal and President Ranil Wickremesinghe of Sri Lanka are among those attending the ceremony, in addition to Muizzu, Tobgay, Jugnauth, Hasina, and Afif.

Muizzu received an invitation from New Delhi to the swearing-in event, which took on significance given the tense relations between India and the Maldives at the time, as reported by the agency.

On Saturday, Muizzu said he looked forward to working with Modi to further strengthen the close relations with India, noting that the relationship between the two countries is heading in the "positive direction".

The ties between India and the Maldives came under severe strain since Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, took charge of the top office.

Within hours of his oath, he had demanded the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from his country. The Indian military personnel were replaced by civilians earlier this month.

The Ministry of External Affairs said, "The visit of the leaders to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his third consecutive term is in keeping with the highest priority accorded by India to its 'Neighbourhood First' policy and 'SAGAR' vision."

Under the more comprehensive SAGAR, or Security and Growth for All in the Region, policy framework, India has been collaborating with the nations in the Indian Ocean region.

According to the reports from PTI, apart from taking part in the swearing-in event, President Droupadi Murmu is hosting a luncheon for the international leaders.

Modi is likely to hold separate bilateral meetings with the foreign leaders.

After a massive electoral victory for BJP, the leaders of regional grouping SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries attended Modi's first swearing ceremony when he took the reins as the prime minister.

Leaders of the BIMSTEC countries attended Modi's swearing-in ceremony, in 2019 when he became prime minister for the second consecutive term, as reported by PTI.

In the most recent Lok Sabha elections, the BJP did not secure a majority on its own, but the party-led alliance did secure 293 seats out of 543. There are 272 votes in favor in the lower house.