The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is set to form the new government on Saturday, with Narendra Modi being sworn in as the Prime Minister of India for an unprecedented third consecutive term, NDTV reported.
Earlier in the day, NDA leaders convened at Modi’s Delhi residence to analyze the election results. Following this, a delegation comprising BJP and allied leaders was scheduled to meet President Droupadi Murmu to formally claim the right to form the government.
The meeting with President Murmu, intended as a show of strength given the modest margin of BJP’s victory, will include the party’s senior leaders and top NDA figures. This includes Narendra Modi, set for his third term as Prime Minister, Amit Shah, the outgoing Home Minister, and BJP President JP Nadda. Also attending will be TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu and Janata Dal’s Nitish Kumar.
Naidu’s TDP secured 16 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh and returned Naidu as Chief Minister in a simultaneous Assembly election. Nitish Kumar’s JDU won 12 seats in Bihar. Their combined 28 MPs are seen as crucial in supporting Modi and the BJP’s bid for a third successive union government, avoiding ceding ground to the Congress-led INDIA bloc.
In his victory speech Tuesday night, Modi acknowledged the importance of allies Naidu and Kumar. With speculation that the Congress-led INDIA bloc, which Kumar helped found, might attempt to poach these leaders, Modi’s bid submission flanked by Naidu and Kumar carries significant symbolic weight.
Sources indicate that Naidu and Kumar, experienced in coalition politics, could be targeted by the Congress to bolster its own claim. Although neither has revealed their stance, demands including special status for their states and key ministerial positions are reportedly being discussed.
On Tuesday, the INDIA bloc defied exit poll predictions to mount a substantial challenge to the BJP, marking the first significant opposition since Modi’s rise to power in 2014. The opposition alliance secured 232 seats, 40 short of the 272-majority mark. While the Congress performed its best since 2009, winning 99 seats, the intent to reach out to Naidu and Kumar remains, according to sources.
Meanwhile, Modi met President Murmu to tender his resignation ahead of the government’s dissolution on June 16. He was asked to continue until a new government is formed. Modi also chaired the final cabinet meeting of his second term, downplaying concerns over the party’s performance and reiterating the NDA’s commitment to continue their work.
Addressing supporters at the BJP headquarters in Delhi, Modi expressed gratitude for the public’s continued faith in the NDA and assured that the government would continue its efforts to meet the people’s aspirations.