New Delhi, June 5 (EFE).- The Hindu nationalist leader, Narendra Modi, on Wednesday secured the unanimous support of his coalition partners to form the next government in India, following a meeting of its main leaders in New Delhi, a day after the results of the general election.
”We are all proud that the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) fought the 2024 Lok Sabha (the lower house of the parliament) polls unitedly under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and won,” read a joint statement by the coalition members at the end of their meeting.
“We all NDA leaders unanimously elect Narendra Modi as our leader,” the statement added, underlining their support that will allow the Hindu nationalist leader to serve as prime minister for a third consecutive term.
Modi, leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to be sworn-in as prime minister on Saturday, June 8, according to local media reports.
The BJP emerged as the single largest party in India’s general election, winning 240 seats in the Lok Sabha, according to results released Tuesday by the Election Commission after more than 15 hours of counting.
However, this figure falls short of the 272 seats needed to form a government on its own, leaving the BJP, for the first time, requiring the support of its NDA partners to form the government.
The NDA coalition together account for 290 seats in the lower house.
This will be the third consecutive term of Modi, who first came to power in 2014, when his party won an absolute majority in parliamentary elections, securing 282 seats.
Five years later, in 2019, the BJP performed even better, winning 303 seats that allowed it to govern on its own again.
However, it will be the first time in Modi’s political career that the leader is forced to pact with his allies to form a government, creating a relationship of dependence that until now had been totally unknown to him.
Among the main challenges ahead for India’s next prime minister is inflation and unemployment, while maintaining the rapid economic growth as the country aspires to become the world’s third largest economy in the next five years. EFE
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