Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the Biju Patnaik International Airport from Hyderabad in a special Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft on Wednesday to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the BJP government in Odisha.
Upon his arrival, the Prime Minister received a rousing reception, with tribal women dancing to the tunes of tribal songs and the beating of drums.
The Prime Minister proceeded directly to Raj Bhavan from the airport, where he will spend some time before leaving for Janata Maidan, the venue of the swearing-in ceremony, in the evening.
During his election meetings in Odisha, Modi had announced that the BJP government would be formed in the state and invited people to come to Bhubaneswar to attend the swearing-in ceremony.
Security arrangements have been tightened near Biju Patnaik International Airport as several dignitaries and central BJP leaders are arriving in Bhubaneswar to grace the swearing-in ceremony of the first BJP government in the state.
BJP sources said that Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Health Minister and BJP National President J.P. Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Environment and Forest Minister Jogendra Yadav, and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will be attending the oath-taking ceremony.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bishnu Deo Sai, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami have also arrived to grace the swearing-in ceremony.
In view of the presence of a large number of VVIPs, elaborate security arrangements have been made by the Commissionerate of Police for the oath-taking ceremony. A total of 67 platoons of police force have been deployed for security. IG Praveen Kumar has been given responsibility for the security arrangements at Janata Maidan, the swearing-in ceremony venue.
Sources said arrangements have been made for about 30,000 people to attend the oath-taking ceremony.
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