PM Narendra Modi Set to Begin Third Term on June 8

Picture Source: www.narendramodi.in

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to take the oath for his third successive term on June 8, marking a historic moment in Indian politics. Modi will be the first Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to win three straight terms, and the first Indian government to return to power for the third time since 1962.

Election Results and Government Formation

India’s election officials counted 640 million votes on Tuesday, concluding the country’s extensive seven-phase election. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged victorious, securing 240 out of the 543 Lok Sabha seats.

However, the BJP fell short of the 272-seat majority mark, needing support from allies within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to form the government. The NDA collectively garnered 292 seats, while the opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc achieved 234 seats.

Despite not achieving the landslide victory projected by exit polls, the NDA managed to secure a majority with the assistance of key allies. N Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) played crucial roles, winning 16 and 12 seats in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, respectively.

The Congress party, part of the I.N.D.I.A bloc, increased its tally to 99 seats from 52 in 2019, impacting BJP’s share in states like Rajasthan and Haryana.

Analysis of BJP’s Performance in Key States

In Uttar Pradesh, BJP’s seat count dropped from 62 in 2019 to 60, primarily due to the consolidation of opposition votes by the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). In West Bengal, despite BJP’s strong campaign, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) led by Mamata Banerjee secured 24 seats, leveraging its grassroots presence. In Maharashtra, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance won 36 seats, but the Congress-NCP alliance’s secured 12 seats. Bihar saw the NDA winning 31 out of 40 seats; however, the opposition’s focus on regional issues contributed to their gains. Overall, BJP’s performance was impacted by local issues, effective opposition alliances, and strong regional parties.

A Victory of Democracy: PM Modi’s Address

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed BJP workers at the party headquarters in New Delhi, describing the NDA’s victory as a “victory of democracy.”

“I am indebted to the people of the country for their blessings. The NDA government for the third time is certain. The people of the country have reposed their faith in the BJP and NDA. This is a victory of the biggest democracy of the world,” said the PM. 

He also expressed gratitude to the Election Commission and security personnel for overseeing the elections and emphasized his government’s commitment to serving all sections of society. “I also thank the Election Commission of India for conducting such a large-scale election exercise. Every Indian is proud of the credibility of India’s election process and system. The voters of Jammu and Kashmir have shown unprecedented enthusiasm by voting in record numbers. They have also shown a mirror to those who try to defame the nation. I salute the people of this occasion of victory,” PM Modi said.

He also reiterated his government’s focus on making India the world’s third largest economy in the world, and achieving “atmanirbhar bharat” in the defense sector and combating corruption.

“NDA government will work with full force to make India the third-largest economy in the world. Digital India and technology has shut down various methods of corruption. But this is also true that fight against corruption is getting tougher day by day. When eulogising corruption for political motives, and all limits of shamelessness are crossed, then corruption gets strength. Therefore, the focus of the third term of the NDA government will be to uproot the corruption of all types,” he said.