Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to attend Modi's swearing-in, Mamata Banerjee to skip ceremony

In a symbolic gesture of parliamentary representation, Mallikarjun Kharge, President of the Congress Party and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, has accepted an invitation to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony on Sunday (May 9). 

The confirmation came from Congress sources, stating that Kharge would represent the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha at the event.

The invitation was extended to Kharge by BJP leader Pralhad Joshi, as per sources from ANI. However, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, an ally of the INDIA bloc, declared her absence from the ceremony. Banerjee cited not receiving an invitation and expressed her disapproval of the BJP, stating, "I cannot wish well to an unconstitutional, illegal party for forming the government."

Amidst uncertainties about Congress's attendance, Congress leaders voiced concerns over not receiving invitations. KC Venugopal, a Congress leader, expressed, "So far we have not received any information from the government...I do not know what the mood of the government is." Jairam Ramesh, Congress General Secretary, highlighted that only international leaders had been invited, adding, "When our INDIA alliance leaders receive the invitation, we will think about it."

In a concurrent development, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) convened and urged Rahul Gandhi to take up the position of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Sonia Gandhi was affirmed as the head of the Congress Parliamentary Party.

The swearing-in ceremony, scheduled for 7:15 PM, marks Narendra Modi's third consecutive term as Prime Minister, matching Jawaharlal Nehru's record. Security measures have been tightened, with five units of paramilitary forces stationed at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The recent elections saw the BJP securing 240 seats, with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) clinching 292 out of 543 Lok Sabha seats. Despite the BJP's dominance, the Congress, part of the INDIA bloc, managed to prevent the BJP from securing a majority on its own in the Lok Sabha.