NDA meeting clears the decks for Modi government formation
New Delhi, June 5 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) The decks are now cleared for the BJP-led NDA to form the government following a meeting of the alliance members held here on Wednesday. All pre-poll allies including TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu and JD-U leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar along with other leaders of the alliance participated in discussions to finalise the modalities for the NDA government’s formation for the third consecutive term. BJP president J.P. Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and leaders of other parties of the NDA were also present at the meeting. The NDA has unanimously adopted a resolution electing Narendra Modi as the alliance’s leader. The resolution highlights “the impactful development witnessed by 1.4 billion Indian citizens across the nation through the NDA government’s public welfare schemes under PM Modi’s leadership over the past decade”. It acknowledges “the nation’s choice of robust leadership for the third consecutive term”. The resolution “proudly emphasises the unity showcased by the NDA during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections under PM Modi’s guidance, resulting in a victorious outcome”. It declares “the unanimous election of Narendra Modi as the leader, affirming the commitment of the NDA government, under his leadership, to serve the underprivileged segments of society, including the poor, women, youth, farmers and marginalised communities”. Furthermore, it pledges the NDA government’s dedication to fostering multifaceted development while safeguarding India’s rich heritage. Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over the meeting, held at his official residence on Lok Kalyan Marg. With the meeting concluding ‘smoothly’ and the decision reached that the NDA will take the initiative to form the government, Narendra Modi is poised to be sworn in as Prime Minister for a third consecutive term. The NDA allies handed over their letters of support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to begin the process of formation of a new government. The letters of support, along with numbers of MPs of each supportive party, are meant to be submitted to the President Droupadi Murmu to formally stake claim to form the government. The NDA, BJP and its pre-poll allies have a clear majority. The BJP parliamentary party is scheduled to meet on June 7 to elect PM Modi as its leader. Subsequently, on the same day, all NDA MPs will gather to elect Narendra Modi as the leader of the alliance in parliament. Following these procedures, PM Modi is slated to take the oath of office as Prime Minister on June 8. Before leaving for Delhi, LJP (RV) leader Chirag Paswan had asserted that the new government, as per the popular mandate, will be led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the third time. Other NDA leaders had also asserted the same. All participating leaders extended congratulations to PM Modi for his victory and have shown confidence in his leadership. The harmonious manner in which the meeting was held, and all allies promptly gave their letters of support to initiate formation of new government negated speculations that there could be any fissures in the NDA camp, leaving some space for maneuvering by the INDIA bloc. Following a lengthy six-week, seven-phase voting process, the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were declared on Tuesday. The BJP-led NDA secured 293 seats, emerging victorious over the Opposition alliance – INDIA bloc, which garnered 232 seats. TDP and JD-U are key constituents of the NDA with 16 and 12 Lok Sabha seats respectively. Shiv Sena is also an important partner with 7 seats. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the election results as a “victory of the world’s largest democracy”. –
