Hours after the nail-biting Lok Sabha verdict, PM Narendra Modi is set to take oath as the Prime Minister for the third consecutive term, despite a little setback for the party due to lesser numbers and a strong show by the Opposition -INDI Alliance. The dynamics have put Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, and TDP’s N Chandrababu Naidu in a Kindmaker’s position as the INDI alliance party reportedly began approaching both soon after the big verdict. Nevertheless, hailing the Lok Sabha election results as an “unprecedented moment in Indian history”, PM Modi asserted that the public’s mandate confirms that NDA is making govt for the third time. Expressing gratitude to the people, PM Modi stated that in six decades it is the first time that any government has returned to power after completing two consecutive terms.
While the BJP secured 240 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, falling short of a simple majority, the National Democratic Alliance comfortably crossed the majority mark of 272 seats, emerging as the largest alliance in the Lok Sabha. Consequently, the NDA is set to form a coalition government, after a decade of BJP dominance at the Centre.
As per the latest reports, the BJP is in talks with its pre-poll allies, of which the top four are the Telugu Desam Party led by Chandrababu Naidu, the Janata Dal (United) led by Nitish Kumar, Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, and Lok Janshakti Party led by Chirag Paswan. The TDP won 16 seats, JD(U) 12, Shiv Sena 7, and the LJP won 5 seats respectively, making a total of 40 seats. The BJP will need all these seats to comfortably go past the halfway mark of 272.
After a decade of single-party dominance at the Centre crossing halfway majority comfortably in 2014 and 2019, now is the time for a coalition government to be formed at the Centre with PM Narendra Modi taking the lead.
While the INDI bloc has not entirely ruled out the possibility of approaching BJP’s pre-poll allies in order to form a government, it will not be easy for the INDI bloc to form a coalition government, given the leaders’ stark differences in the present alliance. A coalition government means that their party candidates might seek prominent Cabinet berths, which will ultimately impact the main party’s policy-making flexibility. Also, going by the ECI’s results, the BJP is well ahead of the Congress, which has secured only 99 seats.
Meanwhile, the US on Tuesday praised India’s parliamentary elections as the “largest exercise of democracy in history”, while commending the Indian voters for successfully completing the massive electoral process.
BYTE: video 14: 0.25 to 0.47 Matthew Miller, White House Spox
Italian PM Georgia Meloni also congratulated PM Narendra Modi on the third consecutive electoral victory in the Lok Sabha polls, stressing that both leaders will work together to strengthen the friendship that will unite the two countries.
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