Ratan Tata, Sachin Tendulkar, Big B in the guest list for Narendra Modi's swearing in ceremony

New Delhi: Narendra Modi’s oath-taking ceremony — fast building up to a coronation of sorts — could see a liberal sprinkling of Bollywood celebrities and industry leaders with speculation that actors Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, Salman Khan, and Rekha, singer Lata Mangeshkar and cricketing hero Sachin Tendulkar are part of the 2,500-name guest list.

The Bollywood brigade will rub shoulders with industry leaders, like Ratan Tata, and prominent diplomats besides MPs and heads of state from seven SAARC countries invited for the ceremony on May 26.

All Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs have been invited, which alone add up to 777. They have been asked not to bring companions. Sources said former presidents Pratibha Patil and A P J Abdul Kalam have also been invited. Outgoing PM Manmohan Singh will be there along with some members of his cabinet. About 20 of the invitations will be for Modi’s personal guests. Ministers can bring along four guests each.

Sources said the size and scale of the event had made Monday’s event the bash that no one wants to miss. Keeping in view sheer numbers, the ceremony will be held on the red graveled grounds of the Rashtrapati Bhavan forecourt. Modi will be sworn in against the backdrop of the setting sun against the edifice of the Rashtrapati Bhavan and he will face the historic Jaipur Column and the glorious expanse of Rajpath right up to India Gate. Sources said that there was concern over a likely squall which could upset the arrangements.

The ceremony is expected to last an hour after which the heads of states could be invited for a state banquet though there has been no final decision yet. The rest of the guests will be served high tea, which will be a vegetarian fare.