Modi meets President Murmu, stakes claim to form new government
Narendra Modi met President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday evening and staked claim to form the new government. He was elected as the leader of the Lok Sabha, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) parliamentary party earlier in the day, setting the stage for his third term as prime minister. He will take oath as PM on Sunday.
Modi with President Murmu
PM Modi's meetings with BJP veterans and former President
Modi was greeted and garlanded by allies in the Central Hall of Parliament shortly after being elected Leader of the Lok Sabha and Leader of the NDA parliamentary party. He then touched the Constitution with his forehead and bowed down to show respect. He also met with former President Ram Nath Kovind, Bharat Ratna, veteran BJP leader LK Advani, and BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi.
NDA secures majority in Lok Sabha, Modi elected leader
In the Lok Sabha elections, the NDA secured 293 seats, surpassing the majority mark of 272 in the 543-member house. Four NDA allies played a key role in helping the alliance cross the magic number of 272. These were Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which won 16 seats, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena's seven seats, Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party's five, and Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United)'s 12 seats in Bihar. The BJP alone secured just 240 seats.
Our 10 years just trailer: Modi
"This is the first election after Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav...For the third time, the NDA government has been given a chance by the people to serve to country," Modi said in his address after meeting the president. "Our 10 years just trailer, we will work much harder, faster for development of our country; people know we will deliver," Modi said.
Government formation discussions underway among NDA leaders
Details of the government formation at the Centre are being discussed among NDA party leaders. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP chief J P Nadda have been assigned by Modi to conduct talks with partner leaders for finalizing details of government formation. The TDP is reportedly interested in securing the post of Speaker in the Lok Sabha, but no commitment has been made by BJP on this matter.
