'Act fast...': Nitish's advice to PM Modi on government formation
The members of the National Democratic Alliance on Wednesday extended support to incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi to form the government for a third time. The Varanasi MP is likely to take the oath of office on Saturday (June 8). According to reports, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar—who has emerged as the "kingmaker" —has advised Modi to act fast on the formation of the new government.
'No Cabinet negotiations yet'
According to India Today, Kumar—whose Janata Dal (United) has 12 Lok Sabha seats—told Modi, "We should do it as soon as possible." Reports also said that the first meeting of the NDA partners concluded successfully. "There was no discussion on the Cabinet formation, no negotiations. Nitish Kumar said since the election was long and spread over seven phases, the process of government formation should be expedited," the Hindustan Times quoted a member present at the meeting as saying.
BJP relying on alliance partners to form government
In the results declared on Tuesday, the Bharatiya Janata Party—with 240 seats—fell short of expectations against a surprisingly strong showing by the opposition. The BJP—after failing to secure a majority on its own—is relying on its partners to form the government. This has emerged as the first real hit to the BJP since PM Modi's rise to power in 2014. The BJP-led NDA with 292 seats has crossed the majority mark.
INDIA allies' meeting on Wednesday
Separately, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance members met on Wednesday to discuss the possibilities of government formation, the alliance's future strategy, and whether to reach out to former allies—the Telugu Desam Party's Chandrababu Naidu and Kumar. With 28 seats between themselves, the support of the two veteran leaders is crucial for the NDA government. In such a scenario, Naidu and Kumar have emerged as "kingmakers."
'Will continue fight against fascist rule...': Kharge
After the meeting of the opposition bloc, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said that the alliance will continue to fight against the "fascist rule" of the BJP led by PM Modi. Kharge added that the opposition will take "appropriate steps" at the "appropriate time" to fulfill the "people's desire" to not be governed by the BJP administration.
