Bhupesh Baghel, Naveen Patnaik to skip Modi's swearing-in

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday announced that they will not be attending Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony on Thursday due to prior commitments.

The ceremony will be held at 7 pm in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhawan here.

"I want to congratulate PM Modi. Due to prior commitments, I will not be able to go for his oath ceremony tomorrow. I have sought time from PMO to meet him later," Baghel tweeted.

Meanwhile, Patnaik conveyed his good wishes to the Prime Minister and his council of ministers and said he won't be able to attend the ceremony as he will be busy in the swearing-in ceremony of his cabinet ministers.

"The newly elected members of the 16th Vidhan Sabha will take oath tomorrow. As a leader of the house, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has to remain present during the occasion. Thus, he is unable to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister and his council of ministers tomorrow," an official statement read.

Earlier in the day, Modi congratulated Patnaik on taking oath as the chief minister of Odisha for the fifth consecutive term.

As Patnaik today took oath for the fifth consecutive term as the Chief Minister in the presence of Governor Ganeshi Lal, Modi assured complete cooperation from the Centre in working for Odisha's progress.

"Congratulations to Naveen Patnaik ji on taking oath as Odisha's Chief Minister. Best wishes to him and his team in fulfilling the people's aspirations. I assure complete cooperation from the Centre in working for Odisha's progress," Prime Minister's tweet read.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also declined to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Modi objecting to the families of BJP workers, allegedly killed in political violence in the state, being invited to the function.

"The ceremony is an August occasion to celebrate democracy, not one that should be devalued by any political party which uses it as an opportunity to score political points. Please excuse me, "So I am sorry Narendra Modiji. This has compelled me not to attend the ceremony," she said on Twitter.

However, Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy confirmed that he will attend the ceremony.

"I have received an invitation to the Prime Minister's swearing-in ceremony tomorrow. I will attend it. We need to have a cordial relation with the central government if Puducherry wants to move forward. This is the first step towards it," he told media today.

In the Lok Sabha polls, BJP secured a clear majority with 303 seats, while Congress was at a distant 52.

( With inputs from ANI )