NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set for a historic third term in office after the National Democratic Alliance partners unanimously backed him for the top post, hailing India’s strides under his decade-long leadership.
In a meeting convened this evening, kingmakers Telugu Desam Party’s N Chandrababu Naidu and Janata Dal-United’s Nitish Kumar joined 16 bloc leaders in passing a unanimous resolution electing Modi as their leader. Sources said Modi could take oath as early as Saturday, with a meeting of the BJP and NDA MPs scheduled for June 7.
Global top guns, including US President Joe Biden, British premier Rishi Sunak and Russian President Vladimir Putin, also congratulated the PM for the historic win, cementing his claim to a third term in office, which would put him in the league of the late Jawaharlal Nehru.
The ruling BJP, which fell short of a majority in the 2024 Lok Sabha election result, moved quickly on Wednesday to secure written assurances of support from NDA leaders amid signals that the Congress-led opposition INDIA bloc was also keen on engaging Naidu and Nitish. A formal endorsement from the NDA and public show of support by Naidu and Nitish put an end to speculation to the contrary, if any, with INDIA bloc leaders in a separate meeting sufficing to “welcome all parties that believe in the Constitution to their fold”.
As per the final tally, the NDA won 293 seats (including TDP’s 16 and JDU’s 12) and INDIA bloc 234. The half-way mark in the Lok Sabha is 272, with the BJP winning 240 on its own.
Putting all speculation of drifting to the opposition side to rest, Naidu announced his support for the NDA and Modi earlier today before he joined the NDA meeting at the PM’s official residence.
The Congress was quick to remind Naidu of how in 2018, while quitting the NDA in protest against the denial of special status to Andhra Pradesh, he had said, “We want to send this message across loud and clear, all efforts by the BJP to attack the Indian democracy will be met with a strong opposition. People must understand that any leader will do better than PM Modi ji. The BJP government has let the people of this country down in all possible ways.”
Today’s Naidu was a changed man, pragmatism dictating his decision to stay with the NDA as he needs massive central funds to develop Andhra and build new capital Amravati. JD(U) general secretary KC Tyagi also ruled out the possibility of flip-flops by Nitish saying his boss had quit the INDIA bloc after being humiliated. “There is no question of Nitish Kumar going back. We are with the NDA and will also join the government, if invited,” he said.
The TDP and the JD(U) have commenced back-channel talks with the BJP strategists to secure hard bargains. Though there is no official word from any party, the TDP is learnt to have sought the Lok Sabha Speaker’s post, three Cabinet and two MoS berths in road transport, rural development and Jal Shakti segments. The JD(U) is also learnt to have asked for three Cabinet berths and the LJP one. Some parties like Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena have, however, given a written letter of unconditional support. Both the TDP and the JD(U) have demanded special category status for Andhra Pradesh and Bihar.
Government sources said Naidu would stick with the BJP because he wanted to fulfil promises made to Andhra, where the TDP-led NDA government had come to power defeating the ruling YSRCP. With Naidu staying in the NDA, Nitish was unlikely to gamble with the opposition simply because he had only 12 MPs. The NDA would still have 281 MPs—above the majority mark of 272 if Nitish left. The sources also said the INDIA bloc with 20 parties—14 of them with four or lesser MPs—would struggle to cobble up a stable alliance.
The BJP privately questioned the absence of senior INDIA leaders Mamata Banerjee of the TMC and Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena (UBT) at the meeting at Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence. Both nominated their representatives.
Earlier today, the PM chaired the last meeting of the outgoing Union Cabinet, which recommended dissolution of the 17th Lok Sabha to President Droupadi Murmu. Modi and his ministers later resigned and Murmu, accepting the resignations, asked the council of ministers to continue till a new government was formed. She also dissolved the 17th Lok Sabha on the Union Cabinet’s recommendation. The term of the 17th Lok Sabha ends on June 16.