The state capital Lucknow has been painted saffron as it prepares for the mega oath-taking ceremony of second time Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium on March 25.
The function will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party president JP Nadda and other VVIPs.
Among the dignitaries, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of BJP-ruled states, governors, industrialists, opposition leaders and over 50,000 BJP workers and commoners are expected in the programme.
Newly-elected legislators of the BJP will elect Yogi Adityanath as their new leader in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other senior leaders. The BJP has managed to win 255 seats in the 403-member UP Legislative Assembly.
Yogi will take oath as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh for the second consecutive term and 50 ministers will be administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Anandiben Patel at the function at 4 pm on Friday.
Mahants of various maths and temples will also be present in the swearing-in ceremony along with Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev. Besides, all leading industrialists, who set up industries and operate industries in UP, have also been invited for the function.
A senior BJP leader said that chief ministers of Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Manipur and Goa have been invited. Chief ministers of states ruled with the support of the BJP in Bihar, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Pondicherry have also been invited. Apart from BJP ruled states, chief ministers of all states are being invited by the government. Leaders of opposition parties are also being invited for the ceremony.
Meanwhile, 130 road crossings of Lucknow are being decorated for the mega event along with lighting on major roads.
The route from Chaudhary Charan Singh airport in Amausi to Ekana Stadium and from the stadium to BJP state headquarters will be decked up with party flags, banners and flowers.
Officials said that BJP workers would also come from other states to attend the function.
During the assembly elections, 2,500 workers who came from other states are also being invited for the function. Besides 100 workers each from every assembly constituency from Lucknow and adjoining districts will attend the mega event.