MUMBAI, July 12 (Reuters) - The wedding of a scion from

India's ultra-wealthy Ambani family - much in the news for its

opulent celebrations and VIP-studded guest list - has suddenly

developed more political overtones with posters of Prime

Minister Narendra Modi now lining the road to the venue.

The four-day extravaganza will see Anant Ambani, 29 - the

youngest son of Asia's richest person Mukesh Ambani - marry his

long-time girlfriend Radhika Merchant, 29 on Friday, followed by

three days of receptions.

"Heartfelt welcome to India's beloved and respected Prime

Minister Narendra Modi in Mumbai," read the dozens of posters

recently erected by his ruling party along the road to Ambani's

Reliance Industries-owned Jio World Convention Centre.

While attendees to the nuptials are expected to include

reality TV star Kim Kardashian, former boxing heavyweight

champion Mike Tyson as well as former British Prime Ministers

Tony Blair and Boris Johnson, Modi's name had not figured on the

guest list shared by organisers.

Modi is visiting the Mumbai area to inaugurate "a project"

and may briefly attend the Ambani wedding, said Manoj Shinde, a

police official from the traffic department of the Bandra Kurla

Complex district where the venue is located.

Modi has faced much criticism from Indian opposition leaders

who say he is too close to tycoons like Ambani, allegations that

the prime minister and his government have denied.

The wedding has been deemed a public event by local

officials due to the attendance of so many international and

local celebrities, politicians and business leaders.

That's meant traffic in the area has been closed to the

public for most of the day for four days - raising the ire of

locals in Mumbai - a city plagued by traffic congestion,

especially in the monsoon season.

The estimated millions and millions of dollars spent by

Ambani on the months-long celebrations - which have seen pop

stars Rihanna and Justin Bieber perform at pre-wedding events,

have also triggered debate in a country where income inequality

has been rising.

Though some proponents have said the events are boosting the

economy and help generate business for many citizens, others

like Indian opposition politician Thomas Isaac have called the

amount of spending "obscene".

"Legally it maybe their money but such ostentatious

expenditure is a sin against mother earth and (the) poor," he

said in a post on X.