Modi 3.0: Coalition is back as the BJP-led NDA returns for a historic third term

The Indian electorate on Tuesday gave the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies enough seats to lead a third consecutive government at the Center, a first for any party or coalition since 1962. But now the party has won about thirty seats falls short With a majority of 272, it also reminded the BJP, which may have a stake in forming the government on Wednesday, of the virtues of following the coalition’s dharma.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is expected to win 292 seats, while the Congress-led INDIA bloc stood at 232 seats at the time of filing this report. In its best performance since 2014, the Congress nearly doubled its seats to 100. After a decade, the country now has the numbers to elevate its leader in the Lok Sabha to Leader of the Opposition status, which, along with its allies, could make it a more effective opposition. The Union Cabinet will meet on Wednesday at 11.30 am to deliberate on the next course of action.

At the time of going to press, it looked like the BJP would win 240 seats with 211 wins and a 29 lead, a dent of 63 seats from the 303 it won five years ago, and a far cry from the slogan ‘abki baar 400 pairs ‘. . There were setbacks not only in the northern states of Rajasthan, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, but also in Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Haryana. Parliamentary elections will be held in the last three states in November.

Senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at the party headquarters in New Delhi, after the INDIA bloc’s strong showing in the Lok Sabha polls

In UP, the BJP lost the Faizabad seat in Ayodhya district to the Samajwadi Party (SP), a sign that the Ram temple idol consecration had diminishing electoral returns and its support among the Scheduled Tribes (STs) ) and Other Backward Castes (OBCs) were somewhat eroded. The SP boosted the BJP in UP to emerge as the biggest player amid the continued decline of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which failed to win a single seat, while the Congress witnessed a revival in the state.

For the BJP, victory in Odisha – where it would win an unprecedented 19 LS seats and 78 Assembly seats – and improved performance in Telangana helped offset losses elsewhere in the country. It also achieved its first ever win in Kerala and retained its position in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat. But as Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged in his victory speech at the BJP national headquarters in the evening, contributing to the NDA’s final tally of allies in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh was crucial to reaching half of the NDA.

The Prime Minister spoke about the contribution to the NDA of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu, who will become the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh at the same time as his party wins the Assembly elections in the state. with the Lok Sabha elections. Modi said his government at the Center would do its utmost for the betterment of the two states, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar.

The return to a coalition era – which lasted from 1989 to 2014 – after a decade-long hiatus will require changes in the way the BJP functions as it once again occupies the treasury benches. The party had stopped holding steering committee meetings with its allies within a few years of its 2014 victory, and some of its most loyal allies, such as the Shiromani Akali Dal and Shiv Sena, have left the NDA in recent years. The TDP had also severed ties with the NDA under Naidu in 2018. It could also mean that the BJP would have to put its agenda of introducing a Uniform Civil Code and ‘One Nation One Election’ on the back burner.

But not just Kumar and Naidu, Tamil Nadu CM and DMK chief MK Stalin, and his West Bengal counterpart Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee led their parties to comprehensive victories in their respective states, and have emerged stronger, as has SP chief Akhilesh Yadav in UP, whose party is now the third largest in the Lok Sabha. However, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik’s ambition to become the longest-serving chief minister was shattered when his party was voted out of power, while the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which won a few seats in Punjab, won a existential crisis awaited. crisis.

In his address at the BJP headquarters, the Prime Minister said that his government will celebrate the 75th year of the adoption of the Constitution with much fanfare and emphasized that the NDA government led by him will work in a spirit of cooperation with all states , regardless of which party rules them. Modi highlighted the social welfare schemes of the last decade of his government. During the election campaign, the opposition had claimed that if the BJP gets a raw majority, it could amend the Constitution.

The elections were fought, mainly in northern India, in a climate of rising costs of living and lack of jobs. The Prime Minister said his government was determined to embark on the path of “green industrialization” during its third term and reiterated his resolve to eradicate corruption. He said it was “Modi’s guarantee” that his government will reach a higher level of historic decision-making in its third term.

Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, said the outcome was a victory for the country’s constitution.

First print: June 4, 2024 | 11:51 PM IST