PM Modi, Amit Shah to attend Yogi’s swearing-in today

Lucknow: Massive preparations have begun for the swearing-in ceremony of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and his council of ministers.

The ceremony will take place at 2.15 pm on Sunday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah will be present.

Union minister Venkaiah Naidu said that several chief ministers of the BJP and the NDA, including Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, have been invited.

He said the government would fulfil the aspirations of people who had given the BJP its biggest ever victory in UP.

More than one lakh people are expected to gather on Sunday afternoon at Smriti Upvan in Aashiana, when the 21st chief minister of the most populous state takes oath.

Union ministers led by Rajnath Singh and all the 73 BJP MPs from Uttar Pradesh will attend the swearing-in ceremony. The Prime Minister will reach the venue at 2.15 pm and stay there for an hour.

Member of the BJP’s coordination committee and general secretary Vidya Sagar Sonkar said that Sangh Parivar (RSS and affiliated organisations) leaders have been invited to the event. The BJP won 325 out of 403 seats in the state.

An eight-feet-tall platform has been erected at Smriti Upvan. The main dais is 52-feet-long and 24-feet-wide. A parallel dais that is 40-feet-long and 20-feet-wide has been set up for the newly-elected MLAs. The two platforms will be covered fully with strings of marigold.

All visitors and party workers will be welcomed with a shower of flower petals and a tilak by the party’s city unit. Boxes of sweets will be given to the guests.

Director general of security headquarters Bhawesh Kumar Singh carried out a joint inspection with SPG commandos. More than 7,000 security personnel including 18 companies of Central forces will be deployed.

Seven SPs from adjoining districts and 50 deputy SPs, along with 550 inspectors, will be in charge of security arrangements at the venue.