Incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to take oath for the third consecutive time on June 8.
Emerging reports indicate that the swearing-in ceremony, scheduled for Saturday evening, will also include the induction of several new cabinet ministers.
The BJP, led by Modi, secured 240 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, falling 32 seats short of the 272-majority mark.
However, the party is poised to form the government with the support of its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners, who collectively won 53 seats, bringing the NDA’s total to 292 seats.
Reportedly, Prime Minister Modi, has already reached out to Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu, while BJP stalwart Amit Shah has engaged with Bihar’s Nitish Kumar, Chirag Paswan, and Jitan Ram Manjhi.
The Congress, meanwhile, is also engaging in discussions with Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu, both former allies, to explore government formation options, as stated by senior Congress leaders in a press conference.
The NDA’s victory was marred by a tepid performance in the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, where an energised INDIA bloc, a coalition of opposition parties, garnered 233 seats.
The Congress made significant gains, securing 99 seats, up from 52 in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Other regional parties and Independents collectively won 17 seats.
In Maharashtra, the BJP and its allies won 17 seats in the General Elections 2024, a steep decline from their previous tally.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), emerged victorious in 30 of the state’s 48 seats.
The BJP’s count fell dramatically from 23 seats in 2019 to just nine, while its ally Shiv Sena secured seven seats.
The Ajit Pawar-led NCP managed only one seat, with Ajit Pawar’s wife, Sunetra Pawar, losing in Baramati to Supriya Sule, daughter of NCP chief Sharad Pawar.
As Narendra Modi prepares to take the oath of office for the third time, the political landscape of India is poised for another term under his leadership, marked by shifting alliances and a reinvigorated opposition.
