The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Opposition INDIA bloc organized meetings in Delhi today to form the new government at the Centre following the completion of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The NDA meeting has ended. Home Minister Amit Shah, TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and JDU leaders Lallan Singh and Sanjay Jha were among those present at the meeting.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah met President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday and staked a claim to form the government. This significant development comes as NDA leaders met at the Prime Minister’s residence, with alliance leaders’ support crucial for the day’s proceedings.
Leaders of the INDIA bloc arrived in the national capital for a major meeting on Wednesday. The meeting commenced at 7 p.m. The INDIA bloc secured 232 seats in the elections, restricting the BJP-led NDA to 293 seats, with 18 seats going to others.
In the Lok Sabha election results for Telangana, both Congress and BJP secured eight seats each out of the total of 17, with the K. Chandrasekhar Rao-led BRS facing significant losses.
Kingmakers of Election
Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar are being called the kingmakers as both hold crucial positions in the 2024 election. The TDP and JD (U) have won 16 and 12 seats in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, respectively.
The 28 seats that TDP and JD (U) have are vital to both the NDA and INDIA in forming a government. The BJP has 240 seats and needs support from 32 more seats to form a government. India, on the other hand, needs 40 seats to reach the magic number of 272 to form a coalition government. Thus, both the NDA and India need support from these 28 seats.
The 16 seats that the TDP won are: Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Amalapuram, Eluru, Vijayawada, Guntur, Narasaraopet, Bapatla, Ongole, Nandyal, Kurnool, Anantapur, Hindupur, Nellore, and Chittoor.
The 12 seats that JD (U) won are: Valmiki Nagar, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Jhanjharpur, Supaul, Madhepura, Gopalganj, Siwan, Bhagalpur, Banka, Munger, and Nalanda.
Both Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar have shown confidence in the NDA; however, they have put forth some demands for joining the alliance. Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena (UBT) asked TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and JD’s Nitish Kumar to remember how the BJP “treated” them and if they wanted to collaborate with an “autocrat.”
“Chandrababu Naidu should remember how the BJP treated him. Nitish Kumar should remember what kind of treatment was meted out to him. Not a single penny was given by the BJP to Chandrababu Naidu when he wanted to develop Amravati as the capital. We are hopeful. Everyone should try to form a government. What is the harm? They were speaking of BJP ‘400 paar’… Now, they speak of NDA. Their language has changed. If needed, Uddhav Thackeray, too, will come to Delhi,” said Sena leader Arvind Sawant.
Demands by Nitish and Naidu
Reportedly, the TDP supremo is likely to get Special Category Status (SCS) for Andhra Pradesh, an issue over which he walked out of the NDA in 2018. The SCS will ensure the state gets more central funds, higher grants-in-aid to the state government, and industrial incentives like income tax exemptions, customs duty waivers, and GST concessions, among others.
The TDP chief is also likely to seek additional funds from the Centre to restart the development of Amaravati as the state capital, a project that was stalled after Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSR Congress (YSRCP) stormed to power in 2019. Several buildings and apartment complexes built during Naidu’s regime between 2014 and 2019 lie vacant today while civic infrastructure decays. Another demand that Naidu is likely to put forward is funds for the completion of the long-pending Polavaram project, a promise TDP leaders said he made during campaigning in the run-up to the elections.
Meanwhile, the Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, who leads the Janata Dal (United), wants special benefits for Bihar, including special category status and a national caste census. The party also wants five positions in the central government. Other NDA partners from Bihar, such as Chirag Paswan of the Lok Janshakti Party and Jitin Ram Majhi of the Hindustani Awam Morcha, are asking for cabinet positions for their parties.
The NDA won 292 seats, with the BJP getting 240, which is 32 seats short of the majority mark of 272 in the Lok Sabha. To form the government, the BJP needs to consider the demands of its alliance partners, especially from Bihar, which has a total of 18 seats (12 for JD (U), 5 for LJP, and 1 for HAM).
Nitish Kumar, Paswan, and Majhi went to Delhi for an NDA meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The JD (U) wants important portfolios like railways, rural development, and water resources in the central government to bring projects to Bihar and boost infrastructure development, which has seen significant progress during CM Kumar’s tenure.
Some JD (U) leaders also mentioned that the CM is eager for early assembly elections in Bihar to capitalize on the favorable environment for the JD (U) and NDA, considering they won 30 seats together.
Hate mongering didn’t last long
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi successfully defended the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat, surpassing his closest competitor, K. Madhavi Latha of the BJP, by a margin exceeding 3.38 lakh votes.
The BJP’s Hyderabad candidate, K. Madhavi Latha, was accused of hurting the sentiments of the Muslim community by gesturing to shoot an arrow toward a mosque on April 17, 2024. A purported video of the incident was circulated all over the internet.
The BJP candidates emerged victorious in Adilabad (ST), Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Medak, Secunderabad, Malkajgiri, Chevella, and Mahabubnagar LS seats. Meanwhile, Congress nominees secured wins in Peddapalle (SC), Mahabubabad (ST), Warangal (SC), Bhongir, Khammam, Nalgonda, Nagarkurnool (SC), and Zaheerabad.
The unexpected twist in Uttar Pradesh
The INDI alliance, including the Samajwadi Party, saw a strong comeback in key Hindi states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Haryana, and Jharkhand. Despite this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP-led alliance is projected to stay in power for a third term, though with a less dominant majority than predicted. As per current reports, the National Democratic Alliance is likely to secure 291 Lok Sabha seats, while the INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) is expected to have 234 seats.
Preparing to take office for a record third consecutive term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to work with all states, regardless of the party in power, to build a developed India.
