New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi may take oath for a third time on Saturday, and become the first (and only) three-term leader of the country since Congress stalwart and India’s first PM Jawaharlal Nehru.
Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which claimed 282 seats in 2014 and 303 in the 2019 election won 240 seats this time, 32 short of the 272-majority mark. It will now rely on the 53 seats won by members of the party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to seal a third term.
The leader retained his Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi, defeating the Congress’ Ajay Rai by less than 1.5 lakh votes to become a three-time MP from the temple town.
Addressing an adoring crowd at the party’s Delhi HQ late Tuesday, the Prime Minister 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 the aspirations of people,” Modi posted on X.
He also made special mention of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader Chandrababu Naidu and Janata Dal (United) boss Nitish Kumar, veteran, coalition-era politicians who are seen as kingmakers since the proposed BJP-led NDA government lacks a majority without them. Naidu’s TDP has 16 Lok Sabha MPs and Nitish Kumar’s JDU has 12.