Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to take the oath of office for a third time on Saturday, joining Congress stalwart Jawaharlal Nehru as the only three-term leaders in India’s history. After meeting with President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi to submit his and his cabinet’s resignation, Mr. Modi was asked to continue in his role until the swearing-in ceremony.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which won 282 seats in 2014 and 303 in 2019, secured 240 seats in the latest Lok Sabha elections—32 seats short of the 272 required for a majority. The BJP will rely on the 53 seats won by its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners to form the government.
Mr. Modi retained his Lok Sabha seat in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, defeating Congress candidate Ajay Rai by less than 1.5 lakh votes, making him a three-time MP from the temple town. Following his announcement of the NDA’s intention to form the government, Mr. Modi chaired a final meeting of the Union Cabinet for this term, describing the election results as a “victory of the world’s largest democracy.”
Despite setting an ambitious target of 370 seats (400+ including NDA partners), the BJP was held back by the opposition alliance, the Congress-led INDIA bloc, which secured 232 seats in a strong performance. However, the BJP remained the single-largest party, buoyed by strong results in Odisha (20 of 21 seats), Andhra Pradesh (21 of 25), Madhya Pradesh (29 of 29), and Bihar (30 of 40).
In a significant development, the BJP won its first ever Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, a state where it has historically struggled. The party also doubled its tally in Telangana to eight seats, although it failed to win any seats in Tamil Nadu for a second consecutive election, with all 39 seats going to the ruling DMK and INDIA bloc allies.
Addressing supporters at the BJP headquarters in Delhi, Mr. Modi expressed gratitude for the public’s continued support, promising to continue the good work of the past decade. He also acknowledged the pivotal roles of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader Chandrababu Naidu and Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar, whose parties’ 28 seats are crucial for the NDA’s majority.
If the NDA were to lose these seats, its tally would drop to 265, below the majority mark. Speculation is rife about the INDIA bloc making a late approach to Naidu and Kumar, but Naidu reaffirmed his loyalty to the NDA, stating, “I am in the NDA… am going for the meeting.”
Both the NDA and INDIA bloc are holding meetings in Delhi to review the election results and strategize for the future.
