Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accompanied by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, departs after delivering a speech to supporters at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in New Delhi, India, on Tuesday, June 4, 2024 (AP).
Narendra Modi is scheduled to convene with his allies today to deliberate on forming the next government, following a closely contested election where his Hindu nationalist party fell short of an outright majority in parliament.
Mr. Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 240 seats in the general election, 32 shy of the halfway mark in the 543-member lower house, according to official results disclosed late yesterday.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP, clinched 293 seats, surpassing the 272 threshold required to establish a government.
In contrast, the opposition INDIA alliance, spearheaded by Rahul Gandhi's centrist Congress party, obtained 230 seats, significantly more than anticipated. Congress alone secured 99 seats, nearly double the 52 it attained in 2019. This unexpected surge not only bolstered Mr. Gandhi's stature but also prompted discussions within the alliance regarding their next steps, with no concession of defeat thus far.
The pivotal role of kingmaker for the next government now falls upon two of the BJP's crucial allies – Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu. Their respective parties, Janata Dal (United) and Telugu Desam Party, garnered 12 and 16 seats, respectively.
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