Aishwarya S Menon, Vande Bharat Loco Pilot Invited To PM Modi’s Oath Ceremony

Aishwarya S Menon, a senior assistant loco pilot from the Chennai Division of Southern Railway, will be among the 8,000 special guests attending Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony on Sunday. Menon, currently piloting Vande Bharat trains, has completed over 2 lakh footplate hours driving various trains, including the Vande Bharat Express and Jan Shatabdi.

Menon’s commendable work on the Chennai-Vijayawada and Chennai-Coimbatore Vande Bharat Express services has earned her accolades for her agility, alertness, and in-depth knowledge of railway signalling. She will join other railway employees at Rashtrapati Bhavan to witness Modi’s third consecutive term as prime minister.

Asia’s First Woman Loco Pilot Also Attending

Surekha Yadav, Asia’s first female loco pilot, will also be present at the ceremony. Yadav, who drives the Vande Bharat train from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to Solapur, is one of ten loco pilots invited. She made history in 1988 as India’s first female train driver and continues to set records by piloting the semi-high-speed Vande Bharat Express.

Diverse Guest List

The guest list for the swearing-in ceremony includes sanitation workers, transgender individuals, and labourers who worked on the Central Vista Project, sources told NDTV. Arrangements are being made for over 8,000 attendees at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

PM Modi’s Third Term

Narendra Modi will take the oath of office for his third term on Sunday evening, following an invitation from President Droupadi Murmu to form the government. The ceremony will commence at 7:15 pm at Rashtrapati Bhavan, with various South Asian leaders in attendance. Confirmed guests include Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, among others.

Historical Context

Modi becomes the second Indian to secure a third consecutive term as prime minister, following in the footsteps of Jawaharlal Nehru. Unlike Nehru, Modi’s current term will lead a coalition government, as the BJP did not secure a majority in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, winning 240 seats. The BJP-led NDA, with 293 seats, remains above the majority mark, thanks to alliances with key partners like Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party and Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal United.