Outlook Web Desk
Key BJP allies -- TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar -- on Friday endorsed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the leader of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)
The NDA, a political alliance headed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won majority in the general elections 2024, counting of votes for which took place on June 4. While BJP failed to hit the majority mark alone, its NDA allies helped it achieve the same.
Chosen by the BJP-led NDA as its leader to become prime minister for the third time, Narendra Modi on Friday said the NDA govt in the next 10 years will focus on good governance, development, quality of life and minimum interference in the lives of common citizens.
After BJP failed to secure majority, NDA allies JDU and TDP, headed by Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu respectively, emerged as kindmakers as the seats won by them in Lok Sabha polls were the ones that took NDA's tally to slightly above the majority mark
The NDA, formed in 1998 with the shared objective of keeping Congress Party out of power, held power first from 1999 until 2004 under the leadership of the then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and again from 2014 to the present under Narendra Modi
In 2004, the NDA lost its majority and the Congress-led UPA took power as the reputation of BJP was hit as a result of widespread 2002 Gujarat communal riots
In 2014, the NDA stormed back to power and removed Congress from Centre. This was repeated in 2019 general polls, when BJP won a massive majority alone by bagging 303 of 543 Lok Sabha seats.
Shiv Sena, Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) are some of the major political parties part of the NDA. In the 2024 elections, the INDIA bloc of Opposition restricted BJP to 240 seats and its allies to 53
NDA's Chirag Paswan (in pic) and other NDA leaders including N Chandrababu Naidu (TDP), Nitish Kumar (JDU), Eknath Shinde (Sena), Kumarswamy (JDS), Ajit Pawar (NCP), Anupriya Patel (Apna Dal-S), Pawan Kalyan (Jana Sena) attended Friday's meeting along with newly elected LS members
Narendra Modi will take oath as Prime Minister for the third time on Sunday, June 9. The oath-taking ceremony will take place at 6 pm. Amid a reduced majority, the BJP leadership moved swiftly since the June 4 results for govt formation to end any sense of uncertainty after verdict