Rahul, Priyanka, Kharge and four chief ministers to attend swearing-in ceremony at Central Stadium

T'puram: Preparations for the swearing-in ceremony of the incoming UDF govt led by chief minister-designate V D Satheesan have entered the final stage at Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, where elaborate security, traffic and public arrangements have been put in place ahead of Monday's event.Senior Congress functionaries and chief ministers from Congress-ruled states are expected to attend the ceremony. Those likely to attend include chief ministers Siddaramaiah (Karnataka), A Revanth Reddy (Telangana), Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (Himachal Pradesh), Karnataka deputy CM D K Shivakumar, Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several ministers from other states.It is learnt that a protocol-related disagreement has emerged ahead of the ceremony over who should be accommodated on the main stage during the oath-taking function.Sources said the protocol wing informed Raj Bhavan that invited chief ministers and the Lok Sabha opposition leader were expected to be present on the dais. However, Raj Bhavan is learnt to have directed that only the governor, the chief minister-designate, ministers taking oath and the chief secretary should be present on the dais. Officials in the general administration department said the final decision regarding who should be allowed on the stage rests with the governor.The city police have announced extensive traffic and security arrangements in connection with the event. Traffic restrictions will come into force from 7 am on Monday and remain in place till 4 pm, according to city police commissioner K Karthick.Officials said only VIP entry would be permitted through the main gate of the stadium. People attending the ceremony have been instructed to enter the stadium before 8am while the gates and adjoining roads will be closed by 9am.Authorities have also arranged LED screens at six locations across the city for the public to watch the swearing-in ceremony live. Entry to the stadium will be through four gates. Priority entry will be given to pass holders, after which others will be allowed entry depending on crowd management and security considerations.