At the invitation of his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is visiting New Delhi to attend the former’s third swearing-in ceremony as prime minister, which will be held on Sunday evening.

Modi was elected leader of the coalition, the National Democratic Alliance, on Friday after his Bharatiya Janata Party failed to win enough seats to form a simple majority in the recently concluded nationwide elections in India.

Modi will assume office as prime minister for a third consecutive term as the BJP-led NDA secured 293 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. In the 543-strong lower house of the Indian parliament, 272 is the minimum majority figure. Modi is the second Indian leader to win a third term after founding prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

In 2014, Nepal’s prime minister Sushil Koirala attended Modi’s first oath as prime minister after his party won a majority. As Modi began his second term as prime minister in May 2019, his Nepali counterpart KP Sharma Oli attended the swearing-in in New Delhi.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Prime Minister Dahal will be accompanied by his daughter Ganga Dahal, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Padam Giri, Foreign Secretary Sewa Lamsal, Head of South Asia Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bhrigu Dhungana, Chief of Protocol Bishnu Prasad Gautam, Protocol Officer Prabin Bhattarai and three security personnel of the prime minister. A Cabinet meeting on Saturday decided the delegation.

Nepali Ambassador to New Delhi Shankar Sharma and Deputy Chief of Mission at the embassy, Surendra Thapa will join the prime minister’s delegation from New Delhi at the oath ceremony. The Indian government has invited leaders from India’s neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean region to witness the ceremony as distinguished guests.

According to the Indian Prime Minister's Office, some distinguished leaders from India's neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean region have accepted the invitation to attend the swearing-in. The list includes President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe; Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu; Vice-President of Seychelles Ahmed Afif; Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina; Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth; Nepal’s Pushpa Kamal Dahal; and Prime Minister of Bhutan, Tshering Tobgay. Over seven thousand guests are invited to witness the event.

India’s PMO stated that the leaders will also attend a banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan the same evening. After the swearing-in, Prime Minister Dahal will call on Modi probably on Sunday evening, said the officials. Dahal will return to Kathmandu on Sunday evening.

The invitation to the leaders of neighbouring countries to the important ceremony underscores India's commitment to fostering strong regional relationships, the PMO statement said.