NEW DELHI, June 6:
Newly elected MPs of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance are expected to meet on Friday to elect Narendra Modi as their leader, paving the way for him to take oath as prime minister for a third term.
Sources said after Modi’s election as the leader of NDA MPs, senior members of the alliance like TDP’s N Chandrababu Naidu and JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar will join the prime minister for a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu to present her the list of parliamentarians supporting him.
He may be sworn in over the weekend, possibly Sunday, they added. The NDA has 293 MPs, comfortably above the majority mark of 272 in the 543-member Lok Sabha.
Senior BJP leaders, including Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, held deliberations through the day on Thursday as the party set in motion government formation efforts.
They met at BJP president J P Nadda’s residence in what was seen as part of the party’s exercise to reach out to allies over issues like their share of ministerial berths and pick the probables from within their party for the coalition government.
Preparing to take oath for a third straight term as the head of a coalition government, Modi had on Wednesday chaired a meeting of the ruling alliance’s members who unanimously elected him as its leader.
Leaders of the BJP’s ally Janata Dal (United) also held deliberations with party president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Though the regional party has not said anything officially on the issue, sources said it is looking to get some key ministerial berths to reclaim some of the lost ground in Bihar where it has performed well after being seen to have fallen way behind the BJP and the RJD over the last few years in political strength.
With 12 MPs, the JD(U) is the second biggest BJP ally after the Telugu Desam Party’s 16. The new BJP-led government will depend critically on these two parties for survival.
BJP leaders are in touch with allies over ministerial berths and other issues.
Naidu is keen that the Centre provide Andhra Pradesh financial assistance in building its capital in Amravati. He also wants the new government to take steps to fulfil the Centre’s commitment to the state when Telangana was carved out of it, sources said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to take oath for third successive term in office on June 9, sources said
BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won a successive third term in office in the results of Lok Sabha elections declared on June 4. Sources said PM Modi’s swearing-in ceremony may take place at 6 pm on June 9.
Earlier there was speculation that the swearing-in ceremony of the new NDA government led by PM Modi would take place on Saturday.
There is no official confirmation yet of the date of the oath-taking ceremony.
Leaders of parties in the National Democratic Alliance held a meeting on Wednesday and elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi as their leader.
PM Modi later said that NDA will work towards building a developed India.
“Met our valued NDA partners. Ours is an alliance that will further national progress and fulfil regional aspirations. We will serve the 140 crore people of India and work towards building a Viksit Bharat,” PM Modi said in a tweet on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe are set to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.
The Bangladesh PM will be arriving in India on Friday, according to bdnews24.
The Kathmandu Post quoting the Nepalese Foreign Ministry said that Nepal PM Dahal has confirmed his participation in the swearing-in ceremony.
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe is also set to visit India for the oath-taking ceremony, adaderana reported.
The leaders were invited by Modi during his phone call with them yesterday.
Leaders of some other countries are likely to be attending the swearing in on Saturday.
Modi will be sworn-in for the third successive time as head of the Indian government, after his BJP party-led NDA alliance notched up the numbers needed to form government in the recently held elections.
During his first term in 2014, Modi had invited the leaders of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation countries for his swearing-in ceremony. In 2019, Modi invited the leaders of the BIMSTEC countries for his second oath-taking ceremony.
