Around 250 Guests in Banquet for President Barack Obama Tonight

New Delhi: The banquet for US president Barack Obama tonight will be among the biggest to be organized at the Presidential palace Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Around 250 guests have been invited for the banquet hosted by President Pranab Mukherjee, say sources. The number of guests at any such banquet is usually not more than 100.

The US President and First Lady Michelle Obama arrived this morning for a three-day visit. President Obama will be the chief guest at tomorrow's Republic Day celebrations.

The guests at the banquet in his honour tonight include top political leaders, industrialists and eminent citizens from various fields. President Obama's entire delegation will attend the dinner, which will feature popular Indian dishes, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian - and traditional desserts.

Besides Prime Minister Narendra Modi, top ministers of his government will be present. The National Security Adviser, Cabinet Secretary, Foreign Secretary and diplomats from both countries will be among the officials there.

The three service chiefs are expected to be present. Former prime ministers, including Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda, and former presidents like APJ Abdul Kalam and Pratibha Patil have been invited.  The Lok Sabha Speaker, Leaders of the opposition in Parliament, and the Chief Justice of India are also among the invitees.

Members of the US-India Business Council are expected to be present at the banquet. Corporate India is likely to be represented by Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani, Anand Mahindra, Sunil Bharti Mittal and Deepak Parekh.

The mammoth guest list includes winners of the Padma awards, India's highest civilian honour.

Reports suggest Sania Mirza, Amitabh Bachchan, Amartya Sen and Sachin Tendulkar have been invited.