Parkash Singh Badal invites Jayalalithaa to swearing-in ceremony on March 14

CHENNAI: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today invited his Tamil Nadu counterpart J Jayalalithaa to participate in his swearing-in ceremony for the second term on March 14.

The AIADMK supremo, however, expressed her inability to attend the ceremony as she was scheduled to undertake campaign for the March 18 Sanakarankoil assembly bypoll on that day.

Having conveyed her inability to attend the oath-taking function though she would have liked to, Jayalalithaa said she will depute her party MPs V Maithreyan and M Thambidurai on her behalf, an official release here said.

The ruling SAD-BJP combine in Punjab had retained its hold in the just concluded state Assembly elections. Jayalalithaa had earlier greeted Badal on his poll success.