The path is clear for Narendra Modi to become Prime Minister for a third term, with the newly elected MPs of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) set to elect him as their leader on Friday. The swearing-in ceremony is anticipated to take place on Sunday.
Senior alliance members, including TDP’s N and JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar, will accompany Modi to meet President Droupadi Murmu after his election as the leader of the NDA MPs. They will present her with a list of parliamentarians supporting him.
Shrawan Kumar, a JD(U) leader and Bihar Rural Development Minister, indicated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Nitish Kumar ji will make decisions regarding cabinet berths. However, he emphasized the importance of respectable representation.
Throughout Thursday, senior BJP leaders, including Union ministers and Rajnath Singh, engaged in discussions as the party initiated efforts to form the government. This occurred amidst demands from a senior Janata Dal (United) leader for respectable representation of their party in the Union Council of Ministers. A JD)U) leader requested three ministerial berths for his party.
With 293 MPs, the NDA comfortably surpasses the majority mark of 272 in the 543-member Lok Sabha. Chirag Paswan, leader of the BJP ally LJP(R) and a potential candidate for a cabinet position, emphasized that his party’s support for Modi is unconditional and highlighted the NDA’s majority under Modi’s leadership.
According to Shiv Sena sources, Maharashtra Chief Minister prefers senior MPs for ministerial roles rather than his son, three-term MP Shrikant Shinde.
All NDA constituents are expected to present letters of support to the President for Modi as the new prime minister on Friday.
As he prepares to be sworn in for a third consecutive term as the head of a coalition government, Modi chaired a meeting on Wednesday with members of the ruling alliance, who unanimously elected him as their leader. JD(U) leaders also had discussions with the party president and Bihar Chief Minister.
The regional party seeks key ministerial positions to regain influence in Bihar, where it has recently demonstrated strong performance after lagging behind the BJP and RJD in political strength over the past few years.
With 12 MPs, the JD(U) is the second-largest ally of the BJP, following the Telugu Desam Party, which has 16 parliamentarians. The survival of the new BJP-led government will heavily rely on the support of these two parties.
