Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla To Attend Tarique Rahman's Swearing-in Ceremony

New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will represent India at the swearing-in ceremony of Tarique Rahman as Bangladesh's Prime Minister in Dhaka on February 17, according to sources.

Who was invited?

Bangladesh had invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the swearing-in ceremony of newly-elected Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chief Tarique Rahman on February 17.

The invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi was extended on Saturday evening.

PM Modi will not be able to attend the swearing-in ceremony due to a scheduled meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Mumbai on the same day. 

Later, PM Modi will chair the Artificial Intelligence (AI) impact summit in New Delhi.

The invitation came a day after PM Modi and Rahman spoke in a telephone call after the election results, which gave the party a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

Who will attend the swearing-in ceremony?

In PM Modi’s place, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will travel to Dhaka, according to sources.

India will be represented by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla at the swearing-in ceremony of Bangladesh PM-elect Tarique Rahman. He will be accompanied by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri: Sources pic.twitter.com/azqtiTwmXz

— ANI (@ANI) February 15, 2026

The decision shows India's engagement with the new government amid efforts to rebuild ties following a period of turbulence.

Where will the event happen?

The swearing-in ceremony of the newly-elected Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chief Tarique Rahman will be held at the South Plaza of the National Parliament on February 17, following the party’s sweeping victory in the Bangladesh’s 13th national parliamentary elections.

Bangladesh has sent invitations to leaders of 13 countries, including India, China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UAE, Qatar, Malaysia, Brunei, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Maldives, and Bhutan.

BNP foreign policy adviser Humayun Kabir described the outreach as a "goodwill gesture" to prioritise regional diplomacy. 

What was the election result?

Tarique Rahman's Bangladesh Nationalist Party secured a majority in Thursday's election in the 350-member Parliament.

The national election was held on Thursday, in which the Bangladesh Nationalist Party alliance won 212 seats, while the Jamaat-e-Islami-led bloc secured 77, according to the result announced by the Election Commission of Bangladesh on Friday.