NDA 3.0 will script new chapters, pledges Modi
Modi promises new decision-making chapters in 3rd term of BJP-led government, addressing alliances' demands
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government will write new chapters in decision-making in its third term, and this is "Modi's Guarantee", Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday, after the BJP emerged as the single largest party post the verdict of the Lok Sabha polls though it finished short of winning a majority on its own.
Discussions to draw up the contours of the new government will take place on Wednesday with leaders of alliance parties, Chandrababu Naidu (TDP) and Nitish Kumar (JDU) in attendance, people familiar with the matter said. To be sure, the two leaders are likely to extract their pound of flesh -- in the form of key reforms or ministerial portfolios -- a situation that has been uncharted territory for the BJP over the past decade as it romped to a thumping majority in 2014, and further increased its tally in 2019.
"In the third term, the country will write new chapters of big decisions, and it's Modi's Guarantee," the Prime Minister said."Our victory is the win of the world's biggest democracy," he added.
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Addressing party workers at the BJP office in Delhi, the PM began his speech with a salutation to Lord Jagannath the ruling deity of Odisha, where the BJP swept to power in the state polls and won 19 of the 21 Lok Sabha. He said the verdict shows that the people have reposed their faith in the BJP and the NDA. The BJP won 240 seats, and the alliance managed to win 293, comfortably ahead of the magic mark of 273.
After the second term, the NDA government's record has became a guarantee of development, Modi said. "In 2024, with this guarantee, we went to every corner of the country to seek people's blessings. Today, I bow down with humility to the blessings that NDA has received for the third time," he added.
The PM did not allude to the fall in numbers, or to his pre-poll target of 370, and hailed the fact that for the first time since 1962, a government has got the opportunity to be in power for three successive terms. "After six decades, the voters of the country have created a new history...the NDA has been given the opportunity to serve the country for the third consecutive time. This unbreakable bond of trust with the people is the biggest strength of democracy. And the blessing from people gives us energy to work with renewed enthusiasm and zeal," he said.
The PM said that the NDA will not stop until poverty is eliminated, and India becomes the world's third-biggest economy. "We must hit hard on corruption if we want to move ahead," he said, adding that the fight against corruption has become "hard".
He also took potshots at the Opposition, which said the verdict was BJP's "moral defeat".
"Our opponents who got together could not win as many seats as the BJP alone has won in this Lok Sabha election," he said. While he made no mention of the BJP's reduced strength in Parliament, the Prime Minister basked in the victories in assembly elections in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, and the near clean sweep in the Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
"The Congress has been wiped out in several states..." he said.
The PM's dubbed the verdict as " victory of the world's largest democracy...of unwavering loyalty to the Constitution of India. This is the victory of the promise of a developed India and the victory of the mantra of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas."
He also referred to the Constitution as the "guiding force". The Opposition had accused the BJP of wanting to win 400-plus seats with the intention to change the Constitution — a charge the PM had consistently denied.
Modi thanked the NDA partners, TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu, who led the alliance to victory in the Andhra Pradesh state polls, and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar, whose party won 12 of the 16 seats it contested in Bihar. The NDA, Modi asserted, is committed to ensuring empowerment for all.
Modi made it a point to thank women voters for lending support to the party, and described the elections as an emotional moment for him since it was the first electoral test he faced after his mother's death in 2022.
"This moment today is an emotional moment for me personally as well. This was my first election after my mother passed away, but millions of mothers, sisters and daughters of the country never let me feel the absence of my mother. Wherever I went across the country, mothers, sisters and daughters gave me unprecedented love and blessings," he said. Women voters were credited for helping script the BJP's victories in a clutch of state polls and the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
