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Top leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Wednesday unanimously elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the bloc’s leader, paving the way for a new council of ministers led by him to take the oath of office.
The PM and his council of ministers could take the oath of office over the weekend, possibly on Sunday, sources said. It would be the first time since 1962 that a prime minister will take the oath of office for a third successive time.
In the Lok Sabha polls, for which counting took place on Tuesday, the NDA won 293 seats; the INDIA bloc got 234 seats. Their respective lead parties, the BJP and the Congress, won 240 and 99 seats, respectively.
Before the swearing-in ceremony, the NDA’s parliamentary party will meet on Friday to formally elect Modi its leader and subsequently call on President Droupadi Murmu to submit the letters of the support from the constituents and stake claim to form the next government, said Hindustan Awam Morcha (Secular) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi, after the meeting at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg which the PM chaired.
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President N Chandrababu Naidu and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who heads the Janata Dal (United), reached the national capital in the afternoon. After the BJP’s 240 seats, which is 32 less than the majority mark of 272, the TDP and JDU, with 16 and 12 seats, respectively, have emerged as the leading parties of the NDA.
ALSO READ: PM Modi unanimously elected as NDA leader as he gets ready to form govt
ALSO READ: PM Modi unanimously elected as NDA leader as he gets ready to form govt
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Both leaders reiterated that they fought the elections as NDA constituents and would remain with the bloc. Asked by a reporter if he is in the NDA, Naidu shot back: “We contested the elections together. Why do you doubt it?”
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(From left) DMK leader M K Stalin, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav at an INDIA bloc meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday
Sources close to the leaderships of the TDP and JD(U) have conveyed their thoughts about their participation in the new council of ministers to the BJP leadership. According to a source in the TDP, Naidu has not demanded that one of his party’s MPs should be made Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Most of its MPs are first-timers.
Naidu, who is to take the oath of office as chief minister of Andhra Pradesh likely next week, is expected to ask for central assistance for the state, including funds for the development of Amaravati as state capital.
According to a source in the JD (U), the party has sought four spots in the council of ministers and a couple of key ministries, preferably either the agriculture or rural development portfolios. “The demand for special status for Bihar is on the table and will be discussed in the days to come,” the party functionary said.
In the afternoon, the prime minister tendered his resignation to President Draupadi Murmu, who asked him to continue until the new government assumes office, according to a communiqué from Rashtrapati Bhavan. Earlier in the day, the Union Cabinet recommended the dissolution of the 17th Lok Sabha, which the President accepted. The term of the current 17th Lok Sabha ends on June 16.
Later in the evening, the leaders of the INDIA bloc met in New Delhi. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said the bloc will take appropriate steps at the appropriate time to realise the people’s desire not to be ruled by a BJP government. “This is a mandate in defence of the Constitution of India, and against price rise, unemployment and crony capitalism, and also to save democracy,” Kharge said.
US President Joe Biden, Russian President Vladimir Putin, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and French President Emmanuel Macron were among dozens of world leaders who congratulated Modi on Wednesday on the victory of the BJP-led NDA coalition in the general elections and expressed their desire to work closely with him. "Congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the National Democratic Alliance on their victory, and the nearly 650 million voters in this historic election. The friendship between our nations is only growing as we unlock a shared future of unlimited potential,” Biden said in his congratulatory message.
The attendees at the NDA meeting included BJP President J P Nadda, former party presidents Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah, TDP’s Naidu, JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Lok Janshakti Party (R)’s Chirag Paswan, Janata Dal (Secular)’s H D Kumaraswamy, Jana Sena's Pawan Kalyan, Asom Gana Parishad’s Atul Bora, and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)’s Praful Patel. Leaders of 15 parties attended the meeting.
A resolution passed at the meeting stated that the NDA government will continue working to lift people’s living standards for the country’s all-round development while conserving its heritage. “We are all proud that the NDA fought the 2024 Lok Sabha polls unitedly under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and won. We all NDA leaders unanimously elect Narendra Modi as our leader,” it added.
The resolution also stated that people have seen the country being developed in every sector in the past 10 years due to the pro-people policies of the NDA government under Modi. All leaders congratulated the Prime Minister for his leadership and the strides our nation has made under him. They appreciated the Prime Minister's hard work and efforts in nation-building. Modi said at the meeting that it was a historic mandate for the NDA's third consecutive government which, he noted, was last received in the country over 60 years back. His allies lauded Modi for his clear vision for “Viksit Bharat” and asserted that they are partners in this goal.
