TDP boss Chandrababu Naidu and the Janata Dal (United)’s Nitish Kumar – whose 28 Lok Sabha seats are crucial for the BJP-led NDA – will accompany outgoing PM Narendra Modi.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, which won 293 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, surpassing the 272-seat majority, is set to form a new government on Saturday with Narendra Modi sworn in as prime minister for a historic third consecutive term.
Modi was unanimously elected alliance leader this afternoon and congratulated for his “leadership” and “the progress our country has made under him.” They also appreciated his hard work and efforts in nation-building.
NDA partners said Modi has a vision for a “Vikshit Bharat” and will remain partners in achieving this goal. They praised his role in strengthening India’s standing in the world.
Today, NDA leaders met at Modi’s residence to review the election results and discuss forming a government. Later, a delegation of senior officials from the Bharatiya Janata Party and its NDA partners is scheduled to meet President Dhruv Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan in a bid to seize power.
The delegation is likely to include Telugu Desam Party chief Chandrababu Naidu and Janata Dal chief Nitish Kumar, who together need 28 seats to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party in power.
Naidu’s TDP won 16 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh (and will return to the post of chief minister in the parliamentary elections), while Nitish Kumar’s JDU won 12 seats in Bihar.
There was speculation that the opposition Bloc of India, which won 232 seats (40 seats short of a majority) and is looking to form a government, might approach Naidu and Nitish Kumar.
To counter this, the Bharatiya Janata Party secured written letters of support from leaders of the TDP and JDU.
Mr Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party are well aware of their importance to the NDA. In his victory speech at the party headquarters in Delhi on Tuesday night, he mentioned the TDP and JDU leaders in particular.
Already by Tuesday evening, when it became clear that the Bharatiya Janata Party would not be able to form a government on its own, insiders said the Congress Party had Mr Naidu and Nitish Kumar, experienced politicians skilled in the art of coalition politics – and who would be able to woo them to claim the government themselves – and they know how to get around them.
Neither has yet revealed their intentions, but sources say various “demands” are under consideration, including special status for the state and select cabinet posts.
On Tuesday, the Indian bloc ignored the post-election polls, posing a real challenge to the Bharatiya Janata Party in the national elections. This is the first time since the “Modi wave” brought the Bharatiya Janata Party to power in 2014.
The opposition coalition ended up with 232 seats, 40 fewer than the 272 it had hoped for.
Indian politicians, including Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, have so far refrained from reaching out to Naidu or Nitish Kumar, but people familiar with the matter say they have some intentions.
The Congress produced its best performance since 2009 to win 99 seats. In 2019 the party won only 52 seats (and Rahul Gandhi quit as boss), while it managed just 44 in 2014.
Meanwhile, hours earlier Mr Modi met Ms Murmu to resign ahead of the dissolution of this government on June 16. Mr Modi was asked to continue till a new government is appointed.
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..”