Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will represent India at the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected Bangladesh government led by BNP chairman Tarique Rahman in Dhaka on Tuesday evening.

The announcement was made by the external affairs ministry on Sunday.

According to a report in Bangladeshi newspaper Prothom Alo, India was among the 13 countries whose heads of state/government have been invited to the swearing-in by the chief adviser to the interim government, Muhammad Yunus. The other 12 countries are China, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Malaysia, Brunei, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Maldives and Bhutan.

Announcing that Birla will represent India, the external affairs ministry said: “The Hon’ble Speaker’s participation at this important event underscores the deep and enduring friendship between the peoples of India and Bangladesh, reaffirming India's steadfast commitment to the democratic values that bind our two nations.

“As neighbours united by a shared history, culture and mutual respect, India welcomes Bangladesh's transition to an elected government under the leadership of H.E. Mr Tarique Rahman, whose vision and values have received an overwhelming mandate of the people.”

In the absence of an outgoing Speaker, chief election commissioner (CEC) A.M.M. Nasir Uddin is likely to administer the oath of office to the newly elected members of Parliament.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin will administer the oath of office to Rahman and his cabinet at 4pm.

"Most probably — I repeat, most probably — under the current circumstances, the oath will be administered by the CEC," law, justice and parliamentary affairs adviser Asif Nazrul was reported as saying.

According to the Third Schedule of the Constitution, the CEC is the third choice for the job in the absence of the outgoing parliament's Speaker and deputy Speaker.

"The Speaker of the last parliament is supposed to administer the oath of office to the MPs, but she has resigned and is living in an undisclosed location while the deputy Speaker is in jail," Nazrul said.

The BNP has informed authorities that it will elect its parliamentary party leader immediately after the swearing-in, bdnews24 quoted Nazrul as saying.

The student-led National Citizen Party (NCP) is preparing to form a shadow cabinet, according to party spokesperson and former interim government adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, bdnews24 reported. The shadow cabinet will act as a watchdog, Asif posted on social media, it said.