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The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance – which won 293 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha election to push past the majority mark of 272 – will form the new government Sunday, when Narendra Modi will be sworn in as the Prime Minister for a historic third consecutive term, as per the sources told today.
Mr. Modi was praised for his “leadership” and the “strides our nation has made under him” after being unanimously selected to lead the alliance this afternoon. They also valued his diligence and contributions to the development of the country. The NDA partners stated that they are still partners in achieving Mr. Modi’s vision for “Viksit Bharat.” They praised his contribution to elevating India’s standing internationally.
Following a meeting of senior BJP and NDA officials at Mr. Modi’s residence earlier yesterday (on wednesday) to examine the election results and talk about government formation, a delegation was scheduled to see President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan to lay claim to power.
Leaders of the Telugu Desam Party Chandrababu Naidu and Janata Dal Nitish Kumar were to be part of the trip. The BJP’s coalition needs their combined 28 seats to remain afloat.
In addition to winning a concurrent Assembly election to reclaim the Chief Ministership, Mr. Naidu’s TDP secured 16 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh. In Bihar, Nitish Kumar’s JDU secured 12 seats.
There have been rumors that the opposition INDIA alliance, which finished with 232 seats (40 short of a majority) and is considering a move for government formation, may approach Mr. Naidu and Nitish Kumar.
In order to counter that, the BJP has obtained formal letters of support from the leaders of the TDP and JDU.
The leaders of the TDP and JDU are important to Mr. Modi and the BJP; he specifically mentioned them in his victory speech on Tuesday night at the party headquarters in Delhi.
When it was evident on Tuesday night that the BJP would not be able to form the government alone, sources had stated that Mr. Naidu and Nitish Kumar, two seasoned politicians skilled in coalition politics – could be courted by the Congress in a bid to stake claim itself.
Neither has revealed their hand so far, but sources have said a variety of ‘demands’, including special status for their states and a pick of ministerial berths are on the table.
On Tuesday the INDIA bloc defied exit pollsters to mount a real challenge to the BJP in a national election – a first since the ‘Modi wave’ swept it to power in 2014.
With 232 seats, the opposition alliance fell 40 seats shy of a 272-majority threshold.
INDIA leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, the head of the Congress, have been reticent to approach Mr. Naidu or Mr. Nitish Kumar, but there is a purpose, according to insiders.
In order to obtain 99 seats, the Congress gave its best showing since 2009. Only 52 seats were gained by the party in 2019 (Rahul Gandhi resigned as leader), compared to just 44 in 2014.
Hours before, Mr. Modi met with Ms. Murmu to discuss his resignation in advance of this government’s dissolution on June 16. It was requested that Mr. Modi stay in office until a new administration is named.
This morning, he chaired the final cabinet meet of his second term, and downplayed any raised eyebrows over his party’s performance; “Winning and losing are part of politics…”
“We have done good work for the last 10 years. We will continue doing so.”
Addressing an adoring crowd at the party’s Delhi HQ late Tuesday, Mr Modi said the people of India had “placed their faith” in the NDA for a third time. “I bow to the people for this affection and assure them we will continue the good work done in the last decade to keep fulfilling aspirations..”
Source:ndtv
