The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is set to hold a meeting of its newly elected MPs at the central hall of the Parliament on Friday, June 7. According to the information, the newly-elected MPs will also choose Narendra Modi as their leader, paving the way for him to take oath as Prime Minister for a third term. The swearing-in ceremony is likely to be held on Sunday (June 9), however, official confirmation on the final date is yet to come.
Following Narendra Modi's election as the leader of the NDA, Members of Parliament, key figures from the coalition, including TDP's N Chandrababu Naidu and JDU's Nitish Kumar, are likely to accompany the Prime Minister to meet with President Droupadi Murmu. During this meeting, they intend to present her with the list of parliamentarians who are backing PM Modi, news agency PTI reported citing some alliance members.
BJP and JDU negotiate Cabinet roles
On Thursday, senior BJP leaders, including Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, engaged in extensive discussions as the party initiated efforts to form the new government. These deliberations come amidst a call from a senior JDU leader for their party to receive a respectable share of representation in the Union Council of Ministers. "The matter of cabinet berths will be decided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and our party chief Nitish Kumar ji. But, it should be respectable," Shrawan Kumar, JD(U) leader and Bihar Rural Development Minister stated.
BJP leaders strategize for coalition governance
Meanwhile, senior BJP leaders also met at the party's national president JP Nadda's residence in what was seen as part of the party's exercise to reach out to allies over issues like their share of ministerial berths and pick the probables from within their party for the coalition government. Preparing to take oath for a third straight term as the head of a coalition government, PM Modi on Wednesday chaired a meeting of the ruling alliance's members who unanimously elected him as its leader. A resolution passed at the meeting said the NDA government will continue working to lift people's living standards for the country's all-round development while conserving its heritage.
Lok Sabha elections 2024
It should be mentioned here that the BJP won 240 seats and the Congress emerged as the second largest party with 99 seats. The NDA has the majority number with 293 seats and is holding a parallel meeting on government formation. Meanwhile, the Opposition alliance has 234 seats. While the BJP on its own fell short of a majority, it may, as things stand, form the government on the back of its allies. With support from Naidu's TDP and Nitish Kumar's JD(U), which won 16 and 12 seats in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, respectively, and other alliance partners, the NDA has crossed the halfway mark.
(With inputs from agencies)
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