UP govt swearing-in: Seating for 75k people being arranged at Lucknow

Seating arrangements for 75,000 people are being made at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium here for the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected BJP government on March 25, an official said on Saturday.

Chief minister-designate Yogi Adityanath and his cabinet ministers will take the oath of office at the ceremony that will take place at 4 pm on Friday.

Additional Chief Secretary (information) Navneet Sehgal, who on Saturday visited the stadium, said the preparations for the swearing-in ceremony are being done under Chief Secretary D S Mishra.

"Seating arrangements for 75,000 people are being made at the swearing-in ceremony. The programme will be a grand and splendid one, and preparations are already underway," he said.

On Friday, BJP sources had said that senior party leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP national president J P Nadda and other central ministers will attend the event.

Besides, chief ministers of other BJP-ruled states, RSS leaders and BJP office-bearers are expected to attend the function. Top leaders of opposition parties will also be invited, they had said.

Before the ceremony, Adityanath will be elected as the leader of the legislature party, the sources had said.

This will be the second consecutive term for Adityanath.

The BJP won 255 seats in the 403-member assembly and its allies won 18 seats.