Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal left for India on Sunday to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Speaker of the House of Representatives Dev Raj Ghimire, National Assembly chair Narayan Dahal, Deputy Prime Ministers Raghubir Mahaseth and Narayan Kaji Shrestha and other high-ranking government officials saw off the prime minister at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

On the occasion, a contingent of the Nepali Army offered a guard of honour to the prime minister.

The prime minister is accompanied by Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Padam Giri, Foreign Secretary Sewa Lamsal, his daughter Ganga Dahal, 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 Friday 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.

India’s Prime Minister’s Office 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.

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.

Meanwhile, President Ramchandra Paudel has assigned Deputy Prime Minister Raghubir Mahaseth the responsibility of overseeing the prime minister’s day-to-day administration in his absence.

Prime Minister Dahal will return home on Monday.