India invites Pres Muizzu to Modi's swearing in

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has been invited to attend the oath taking ceremony of Narendra Modi, who will be swearing in for the position a third time.

Modi, who hails from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which leads the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) - a political alliance which also consists of National People's Party - secured his third-time win after stiff competition from his opponent Rajiv Gandhi, contending from Congress.

Indian media outlets, including Asia International News (ANI) have confirmed Dr. Muizzu was extended invitation to attend Modi's oath taking ceremony.

While Indian media have been circulating reports of Modi's invitation to the Maldives head of state, the government has not made any official comments regarding it, while attempts to get a comment from State Spokesperson Heena Waleed also failed.

Though it is not confirmed Indian government has formally invited Dr. Muizzu for the ceremony, he was among the first leaders to congratulate the third-time winner.

In a post on X, Dr. Muizzu said he remains hopeful India and Maldives will continue to work together for shared peace and prosperity.

Modi in response, said Maldives is a valued partner and neighbor in the Indian Ocean region, and added that he looked forward to closer cooperation for further strengthening the bilateral ties.

The Indian PM visited Maldives in 2018 to attend former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's oath taking ceremony.

The Indian Lok Sabha elections that commenced on April 19th concluded June 01st.

BJP secured 240 seats at this year's election, a 63-seat loss. The party-led NDA has secured a total of 296 seats at the Indian legislative body, taking majority position.