Nitish, Naidu to participate in NDA meet today, expected to give letters of support
Oppn offers Dy PM post to Nitish, special status for Andhra to woo Naidu
SP’s stellar show was gamechanger
Big gains for INDIA bloc in Maharashtra
Didi retains turf
NEW DELHI: The BJP-led NDA on Tuesday appeared poised to retain power at the Centre for a third consecutive term, though the saffron party dramatically fell short of a majority on its own in the Lok Sabha.
From a high of 303 in 2019, the BJP could manage just 240, 32 short of a simple majority. It smoked out the BJP’s stability plank as the government’s survival would depend on demanding allies like JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar and TDP’s Chandrababu Naidu.
The JD(U) has leads/victories in 12 seats while the corresponding figure for the TDP was 16.
However, in his first speech after the results came in, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid out his vision for the third term saying it would be a tenure of big decisions with specific emphasis on uprooting corruption.
Modi’s target for the BJP to win 370 seats and for the NDA to cross 400 was a far cry as even potential big hitters like Smriti Irani in Amethi, Rajeev Chandrashekhar in Thiruvananthapuram and R K Singh in Arrah were defeated.
Despite its diminished tally, the NDA is expected to stake its claim to form the new government. The NDA will take its final call at its meeting on Wednesday, which will be attended by Nitish and Naidu. They are expected to give their letters of support to the BJP.
As for the Opposition, it is not leaving any stone unturned to lure Nitish and Naidu, who emerged as the potential kingmakers. According to sources, the post of Deputy Prime Minister to Nitish and a promise of special status for Andhra Pradesh are on the table if the parties extend their support to the INDIA bloc.
While senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted assuring that the party will grant special status to Andhra, sources said that NCP leader Sharad Pawar is in talks with Naidu and Nitish. While both leaders are infamous for shifting alliances, they rejoined the NDA ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Manoj Kumar Jha told reporters in Patna that both Nitish and Naidu are expected to switch to the INDIA bloc.
At a press conference in Delhi, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said the party will hold talks with its allies and “new partners”. A decision will be taken after consulting all INDIA bloc partners on Wednesday, said Kharge.
The gamechanger was the Samajwadi Party, which gave the INDIA bloc an unexpected boost of 37 (wins and leads) in Uttar Pradesh. The Trinamool Congress, too did spectacularly well with 29 seats in West Bengal, higher than its 22 in 2019.
Maharashtra gave the BJP-led allance a decisive blow with just 17 seats. The BJP had independently won 23 seats five years ago. In contrast, the INDIA bloc got 29.
However, the BJP wrested power in Odisha from the ruling Biju Janata Dal. In Andhra Pradesh, the TDP did likewise against the YSR Congress.
The BJP made inroads in Kerala by winning a seat in a state where the Congress and the Left are the major political force. In Telangana, it won eight seats.