Preparations in full swing to welcome newly elected Members of Parliament

With just a couple of days left for the announcement of Lok Sabha election results, preparations are in full swing to welcome the newly elected MPs in Parliament. The Lok Sabha Secretariat is making extensive arrangements and has constituted special teams of officials for the purpose.

As soon as the Election Commission will issue notification of elected candidates, newly elected MPs will start arriving at the national capital. Before their travel, the Nodal officers of the Lok Sabha Secretariat will be in contact with them. Special reception desks are being set up at different terminals of the IGI airport and Railway Stations.

The newly-elected MPs will be received at designated points after their arrival through air, rail and road. After their arrival at the reception centre in the Parliament Annexe Extension Building, several documents will be issued including phone connections, new bank accounts, smart access cards to the Parliament building, Fastag stickers for their vehicles and diplomatic passports. 

Accommodation will also be allotted to them as the newly elected lawmakers will initially stay in state government guest houses in the city and the western court hostel complex. The Members will also be given a set of publications including the Constitution, rules and procedures and conduct of business and a hand book on parliamentary practices.

Meanwhile, BJP sources said the NDA may take oath on June 9 if it wins a third term. Plans include a new venue at Kartavya Path. Ceremony details will be confirmed only after election results on June 4. Kartavya Path, an iconic stretch, is the centrepiece of the government’s ambitious Central Vista project.

"The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is considering taking oath on June 9 if it wins a third consecutive term in the ongoing general elections," insiders aware of the matter said, adding that the tentative plans for the potential ceremony have been drawn up over the past month.

In 2019, the NDA government took oath on May 30, a Thursday. The results that year were announced on May 23. The ceremony was held in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan. According to the sources, this time, the party is keen to find an outside venue that will seat a larger number of guests and one possible option is Kartavya Path.

“The idea is to have a backdrop which will showcase the government’s achievements and vision for the future. A lot of the new structures of the Central Vista project are ready and so it provides an ideal location for the vision of a Viksit (developed) Bharat," a senior party leader told the Rural Voice.

To be sure, the details of the plan will only be firmed up after the results and will be contingent on the NDA getting a third term. It is also likely that the weather will play its crucial part. Delhi saw its hottest days in 80 years on Wednesday and June does not promise any let up in the heat.

Discussion around a possible third swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sparked on Monday when Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar told the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)’s executive meeting that the party may not be able to mark its foundation day on June 10, because they were likely to be busy with the swearing-in ceremony.

A meeting on the contours of the possible swearing-in ceremony was held at the information and broadcasting wing of the Union government on May 24 and attended by officials from public broadcasters All India Radio and Doordarshan. In that meeting, where there was no mention of the venue, officials were told to prepare for a larger audience than the 8,000 that came in 2019, said a source.

One official expected that about 100 cameras will be used to broadcast the event live and said they were told to prepare for the ceremony to be held about 4-5 days after June 4. “All preparations are in place as per standard protocol,’’ said Gaurav Dwivedi, CEO of Prasar Bharti. Party leaders said a full cabinet might be sworn in later.

The seventh and the last phase of the general elections was completed on Saturday, June 1. NDA leaders are assured of a third consecutive term. Party strategists said they expect their numbers to drop in Rajasthan, Haryana, Karnataka and Maharashtra by about 17 seats in total, but they hope to make it up with gains in Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal and Assam.