An artist creates an image of Narendra Modi with glasses used for serving tea.
Narendra Modi will be sworn in as India's 15th Prime Minister at 6 pm today at the Presidential Palace Rashtrapati Bhavan, which is laying out the red carpet for some 4,000 guests, including Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, other South Asian leaders, former prime ministers, former presidents and Chief Ministers.
Mr Modi, 63, is likely to be sworn in with 17 ministers.
Modi's Swearing-In: Who Will Attend, Who Will Give it a Miss
Three top leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or the RSS will attend the event, said sources. Mr Modi is the RSS' most famous alumnus; he was a pracharak or campaigner in the RSS in his 30s.
Nawaz Sharif has reached Delhi with a delegation of nearly 30 people; he is also accompanied by wife Kulsoom Nawaz and son Hussain Nawaz. This is the first time that the heads of states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation or SAARC have been invited for the oath ceremony of an Indian Prime Minister. (Nawaz Sharif Will Attend Narendra Modi's Swearing-In)
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has also reached Delhi to attend the event. The invitation to him has been strongly opposed by Tamil Nadu parties, including the ruling AIADMK and the BJP's ally MDMK.Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, who shares a cordial relationship with Mr Modi, will not attend the ceremony in protest against Mr Rajapaksa's participation, say sources. (Jayalalithaa to Boycott Narendra Modi's Swearing-In, Say Sources)
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom are also attending the event. Bangladesh will be represented by Speaker Shirin Chaudhury as Premier Sheikh Hasina is travelling to Japan. (Day Before Delhi Visit, Rajapaksa Orders Release of all Indian Fishermen)
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has decided to come for the ceremony despite his objections to Nawaz Sharif's presence. On Sunday, he said, "We (Sena) trust the firm and decisive leadership of Narendra Modi and do not wish to put obstacles in his way at the very start of his term". (Trust Modi's Leadership but Find it Difficult to Trust Pakistan: Shiv Sena)
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav will attend the event. But West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had exchanged a sharp war of words with Mr Modi during the national election campaign, will skip the ceremony. She is sending Amit Mitra, the state's finance minister, as her representative.
Prominent chief ministers of BJP-ruled states - Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, Shivraj Singh Chouhan of Madhya Pradesh, Raman Singh of Chhattisgarh and Vasundhara Raje of Rajasthan - will attend.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, whose Biju Janata Dal is a former ally of the BJP, will not attend but he is also likely to send a representative, say sources. Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi will also attend the event. He took over last week from Nitish Kumar, who quit as Chief Minister after his party's poll defeat. BJP ally N Chandrababu Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party, Telangana Rashtra Samiti chief K Chandrasekhara Rao and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar are among the guests.
Outgoing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and party Vice President Rahul Gandhi will attend the ceremony. Congress ally and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who has openly praised Mr Modi's decision to invite Mr Sharif, will attend. (Sonia, Rahul Gandhi to Attend Narendra Modi's Swearing-In)
While Rashtrapati Bhavan officials are reportedly not sure if Mr Modi's family members will attend, the soon-to-be prime minister's mother Hiraben, whom he has often invoked in many of his campaign speeches, is expected to be there.
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