Narendra Modi will take oath as the prime minister of India for the third successive term on Sunday.
Meanwhile, he has been elected by the lawmakers of BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as their leader to become the prime minister.
Senior BJP leader Prahlad Joshi told the media that Modi would take the oath at 6pm.
World leaders, including Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, and Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, will be present at Modi’s swearing-in ceremony.
Addressing the meeting of NDA lawmakers in the central hall of parliament, Modi said he would strive to ensure unanimity in all decisions of his next government.
He said NDA “is an organic alliance committed to the principle of ‘nation first.’”
Modi also said the NDA government in the next 10 years would focus on good governance, development, quality of life and minimum interference in the lives of common citizens.
He said mutual trust was at the core of NDA and they were committed to the principle of ‘sarv pantha sambhava’ (all religions are equal). “This is the most successful alliance in the history of our country.”
He said, “The NDA is not a grouping of parties that have come together to get power, it is committed to the principle of ‘nation first.’”
The prime minister said the election results reflected the power of India’s democracy and took a jibe at the opposition INDIA bloc, saying, “Those questioning EVMs and the Election Commission were silenced after results.”
BJP finished with a tally of 240 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha but missed the majority mark of 272. However, the party-led NDA bagged 293 seats, well above the half-way point.
NDA ally and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of Janata Dal (United), speaking at the NDA parliamentary meeting, attacked the Congress-led opposition bloc, declaring his unwavering support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “I will be with PM Modi at all times,” Kumar said.
He also accused the opposition coalition of more than two dozen parties of failing to contribute anything meaningful to the country.
Telugu Desam Party President N Chandrababu Naidu, another key ally of Modi, said, “We have won a wonderful majority. I have seen during the election campaign, for three months, PM Modi never took any rest. Day and night he campaigned. He started and ended with the same spirit.”
Naidu gave a message to Modi that the new central government has to balance regional aspirations and national interest as these must run parallel to ensure holistic development for all strata of society.
At the meeting, senior BJP leaders, along with newly-elected MPs, and allies expressed support for a Modi-led NDA, proposing him as the bloc’s parliamentary leader and endorsing him for the next prime minister.
Modi, along with Naidu and Nitish Kumar, is expected to meet President Droupadi Murmu on Friday to formally stake claim for government formation.
Having failed to secure a majority, BJP will be critically dependent on allies like regional outfits TDP of Andhra Pradesh and Janata Dal (U) of Bihar which have 16 and 12 MPs respectively.
