Lok Sabha Election 2024 Results Highlights | June 8: Congress Not Invited Yet, TMC To Skip PM Modi's Swearing Ceremony On June 9

Congress held their CWC meeting today where they passed the resolution to appoint Rahul Gandhi as their Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha.

In Congress Parliamentary Party meeting held in Parliament on Saturday the party representative unanimously elected Sonia Gandhi as their chairperson.

The Congress has claimed that they are yet to receive a formal invitation by Narendra Modi for his swearing-in ceremony as the Prime Minister of India for the third term on June 9. Meanwhile leaders from several countries have started arriving in India to attend the ceremony along with leaders and governors from cross the nation.

Trinamool Congress Party led by West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has announced that her party will skip the ceremony as she thinks Modi 'should not be PM' and it is against the 'mandate'.

The president will administer the oath to the Prime Minister and other members of the Union Council of Ministers at 7:15 pm on Sunday at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Goa Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai arrived in Delhi late on Saturday to attend PM Modi's swearing in ceremony tomorrow.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor when asked on the matter said, "I have not received the invitation. Normally, in previous swearing in ceremonies, the government to invite us well before and this time we have received nothing so far."

Congress leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir added, "I don’t know whether the party high command received (invitation) or not. Normally one who takes oath invites all the parties, including the opposition."

And Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury said, ""Do we expect one? We don't expect any such necessities and it is perfectly alright. It is his (PM Modi's) prerogative."

JD(U) General Secretary KC Tyagi spoke on the party’s decision to leave INDIA bloc to join the NDA during Lok Sabha 2024 elections to PTI when he said, “All the regional partners were in favour of making Nitish Kumar the convenor but in a conspiracy, Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee recommended Mallikarjun Kharge’s name for the post of Prime Minister when it had been decided that there will be no PM face. A senior Congress leader raised questions on Nitish Kumar becoming the convenor, facing such humiliation was not acceptable to our rank and file. We understood their intention and JD(U) broke off its relations with them and joined the NDA. After the elections, those leaders of INDI alliance who did not want Nitish Kumar to become the convenor offered him the post of Prime Minister. We have phone records attesting to this.”

After being elected as Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sondia Gandhi addressed the newly elected MPs in the Central Hall of Parliament, she said far from taking responsibility for the failure, the prime minister intends to get himself sworn in again on Sunday.

"We do not expect him to change the substance and style of his governance, nor take cognisance of the will of the people," Sonia Gandhi said.

She said the prime minister had sought the mandate solely in his name to the exclusion of both his party and its allies, but has suffered a political and moral defeat.

"In reality, he has lost the mandate he sought and thereby has lost the right to leadership as well. Yet, far from taking the responsibility for failure he intends to get himself sworn in again tomorrow. We do not expect him to change the substance and style of his governance, nor take cognisance of the will of the people," she said.

Congress leader Karti Chidambaram after the Congress Parliamentary Committee Meeting ended told the media, "Sonia Gandhi has been unanimously elected as Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson. The new members were introduced, and Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge addressed the new members."

Shashi Tharoor added, "I think there was not even a question about it. We all wanted her back. She has been leading and guiding the party for a very long time and there was no question of any other name being considered. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge himself nominated her."

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said that the opposition INDIA bloc may not have staked claim to form the government today, but that does not mean it will not do it tomorrow.

Banerjee, also the TMC supremo, said her party will be in a “wait and watch” mode and she would be happy if the “weak and unstable” BJP-led NDA government is shunted out of power.

“The country needs change; the country wants change. This mandate was for change. We are waiting and keeping a watch on the situation. This mandate was against Narendra Modi, so he should not become the prime minister this time. Someone else should have been allowed to take over,” Banerjee told reporters after a meeting of newly-elected TMC MPs.

The Trinamool Congress supremo said the party will not attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new government.

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, his son and party leader Karti Chidambaram, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, Former Punjab CM and Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi and General Secretary KC Venugopal were among the esteemed members of the party's meeting at Parliament on Saturday.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi arrive at Parliament for Congress parliamentary committee meeting and begin the procedure.

Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal, along with his daughter Ganga Dahal, to attend PM Modi's swearing in ceremony on June 9.

Speaking about the NDA's performance at the Lok sabha polls, Jammu and Kashmir BJP President Ravinder Raina said, "The whole of India is 'Modimay'. NDA has won a landslide victory and the Congress-led INDI alliance is a sinking ship. Congress has faced continuous defeats... Congress could not even touch the 100 mark..."

Wife of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and MP Dimple Yadav said, "I would like to congratulate all the MPs of our Samajwadi Party and also thank all the people of Uttar Pradesh for the work they have done to send a large number of people to the Parliament by supporting positive politics today. I believe that in a democracy if people are not happy, they choose their representatives according to their wishes. The same has happened in Ayodhya that somewhere people were unhappy and they have chosen their MP..."

Samajwadi Party leader Dharmendra Yadav reacting to SP's victory from the Ayodhya Lok Sabha seat, said, "I thank the people ( of Ayodhya)... We are grateful to the people for the blessings they gave to the Samajwadi Party."

Sikkim Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya arrives in Delhi to attend the swearing-in ceremony of PM-Designate Narendra Modi. He said, "I am very happy that I am getting the opportunity to participate in this oath-taking ceremony..."

Ahmed Afif, Vice President of the Republic of Seychelles arrived in New Delhi to attend the swearing-in ceremony of PM-Designate Narendra Modi. PM-Designate Modi will take the Prime Minister's oath for the third consecutive term on June 9, 7.15 pm.

Former Odisha CM and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik speaking to media about VK Pandian said, "It has also come to my notice that there have been some criticism of Mr. (VK) Pandian. This is unfortunate. As an officer he did excellent work in many fields in the last 10 years helping with the two cyclones and with the COVID-19 epidemic in our state. After this good work, he retired from the bureaucracy and joined my party. He is a person of integrity and honesty and should be remembered for all that."

Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari said, "Definitely he (Rahul Gandhi) should become (LoP in Lok Sabha). This was the request of our working committee. He is fearless and courageous..."

Congress MP Kumari Selja said, "It was the CWC's wish that Rahul Gandhi be elected the LoP..."

Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole says, "The entire CWC demands that Rahul Gandhi be elected as the LoP and become the voice of the country..."

Congress leader Ajay Rai said, "It was the CWC's wish that Rahul Gandhi be made the LoP and be the voice of the common man and raise their issues in the Parliament... We are working on why we got fewer seats in some states. Their claim of 'Congress mukt' has failed and the country has now become 'Congress yukt' again."

Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring says, "We all have appealed to Rahul Gandhi to become the LoP. He is the only person who can face the Prime Minister. And when Rahul Gandhi will stand up, the youth of the country will feel safe... We never wanted an alliance with the AAP in Punjab. Our decision was correct..."

According to ANI, CWC (Congress Working Committee) members have passed the resolution that Rahul Gandhi should be appointed as the leader of the party in Lok Sabha.

Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting concluded in Delhi on Saturday. The party's leaders including its president Mallikarjun Kharge, senior party leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and others have started leaving from Ashok Hotel.

Samajwadi Party chief and newly elected MP from Kannauj Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said, "While on one hand, NDA has won, on the other hand, Samajwadi Party has emerged as the third largest party in the country... Negative politics has ended, and an era of positive politics has begun. The people's issues have won."

Former Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa on Saturday said, "People have supported us more than our expectations... I have come here for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony tomorrow".

Former Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa on Saturday said, "People have supported us more than our expectations... I have come here for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony tomorrow".

Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina on Saturday arrived at Delhi airport for attending the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi and Council of Ministers, scheduled to be held on Sunday (June 9).

In his reaction on Narendra Modi becoming the Prime Minister for the third time, HAM president Jitan Ram Manjhi on Saturday said, “It’s the victory of the alliance (NDA). The alliance has chosen him (Narendra Modi) as the leader. Everything will be good. Work will be done in a better way."

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge during the party's working committee meeting on Saturday said, "Must assess setback in states we won just before Lok Sabha polls."

He also said, "We accept this Lok Sabha poll verdict with genuine humility."

He added, "We must remain disciplined, united; people have reposed faith back in us, we must build on it."

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge during the party's working committee meeting on Saturday said, "INDIA bloc allies worked as a team, must remember we can defeat any opponent with diligence, determination."

He added, "INDIA grouping must continue; will work with allies inside and outside Parliament."

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said, "People have given befitting reply to dictatorial, anti-Constitution forces by reposing faith in Congress".

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s during his opening remarks at the extended CWC meeting in New Delhi on Saturday said, "I want to draw your attention to the fact that wherever Bharat Jodo Yatra went we saw an increase in the vote percentage and number of seats for the Congress party."

He as per news agency ANI said, "In Manipur, we won both the seats. We also won seats in Nagaland, Assam, and Meghalaya. In Maharashtra, we emerged as the single-largest party. People from all walks of life supported the congress party to save the country’s democracy and constitution. Other than this, we saw an increase in seats dominated by SC, ST, OBC, and Minority voters as well as in Rural areas. Going forward, we have to make our presence felt in urban areas as well."

Following the culmination of Lok Sabha elections, Congress on Saturday announced 'Dhanyawaad Yatra' in Uttar Pradesh from June 11 to 15.

Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting is underway at Ashok Hoteli Delhi on Saturday.

Ahead of the CWC meeting, Jharkhand Congress chief Rajesh Thakur on Saturday said, "We will discuss on the seats we have won across the country. We have marched ahead and we have to go further ahead."

In her reaction on the Kangana Ranaut-CISF constable incident, Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Singh on Saturday said, "It is unfortunate that a woman was slapped like that. Investigation is being done; let's see what happens."

Congress MPs on Saturday arrived at in the national capital Delhi for the party’s key Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting.

In his reaction on Narendra Modi becoming the PM for the third time, RLD leader Malook Nagar on Saturday said, "It will be a historic moment for the country. It will be happening for the first time after (Pandit Jawaharlal) Nehru... when Nehruji became the PM, no other parties were there. Today, INDIA bloc has so many parties. It has never happened in the country that someone has become the CM and PM thrice. Tomorrow, the world will witness a milestone."

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday called for a meeting at the party office in Lucknow. The party has urged all its MPs to be present at the meeting.

The national capital Delhi will remain on high alert on Sunday for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony. Reports said a multi-layered security with five companies of paramilitary personnel, NSG commandos, drones and snipers will guard the Rashtrapati Bhawan for the Sunday's event.

The Ministry of External Affairs(MEA) on Saturday said leaders from India’s neighbourhood have been invited to the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In a statement, MEA said, "The swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the Council of Ministers following the General Elections 2024 is scheduled on 09 June 2024. On the occasion, leaders from India’s neighbourhood and Indian Ocean region have been cordially invited as distinguished guests."

It added, "President of Sri Lanka, H.E. Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe; President of Maldives, H.E. Dr. Mohamed Muizzu; Vice-President of Seychelles, H.E. Mr. Ahmed Afif; Prime Minister of Bangladesh, H.E. Sheikh Hasina; Prime Minister of Mauritius, H.E. Mr. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth; Prime Minister of Nepal, H.E. Mr. Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’; and Prime Minister of Bhutan, H.E. Mr. Tshering Tobgay, have accepted the invitation to attend."

The key meeting of the newly elected MPs of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will take place on Saturday. The meeting will take place ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in for a third consecutive term which is scheduled on Sunday.

Three Telugu Desam Party(TDP) leaders including Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, a three-time MP from Srikakulam Lok Sabha constituency are likely to join Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Union Cabinet.

Reports said Naidu's is likely to be inducted into the Cabinet on Sunday.

The TDP is expected to secure a Cabinet minister position and two ministers of state posts in the Modi cabinet. However, the party initially sought four positions—two Cabinet and two MoS posts.

Pemmasani Chandrasekhar from Guntur and Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy from Nellore are two additional TDP leaders who are likely be included in the Union Council of Ministers.

BJP leader Giriraj Singh on Saturday strongly criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stating that the people of India have consistently failed to trust him in the past three Lok Sabha elections.

He said, "The INDI alliance works on Thethrology. The person (Rahul Gandhi) who could not cross 99 even in three elections is celebrating, Congress has crossed the limits of shamelessness. Where did this 'tukde-tukde' alliance get votes? Their alliance got fewer votes than the BJP alone. The people of the country did not trust Rahul Gandhi in three elections (2014, 2019 and 2024)."

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh announced an extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting to be held on Saturday, June 8, at 11:00 am. Alongside the CWC gathering, the party will convene a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party, comprising all newly elected Lok Sabha MPs and Rajya Sabha MPs, at 5:30 pm in the Central Hall of Parliament, followed by a dinner at Hotel Ashok at 7:00 pm.

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has termed Rahul Gandhi as "the man of the match" of the Lok Sabha polls.

Tharoor said the message of the mandate was that the electorate have given a "comeuppance" to the BJP's "overweening arrogance" and its "my way or the high way attitude".

"It will be a challenge for Mr (Narendra) Modi and Amit Shah who have not been used to consulting very much in running their government and I think this is going to test their ability to change their way of functioning and be more accommodative and more conciliatory within the government and also I hope with the opposition," Tharoor said.

Sonia Gandhi is likely to be re-elected as chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) at a meeting of party MPs from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on Saturday. As Congress is set to decide the name of its leader in Lok Sabha, there would be a clamour for party leader Rahul Gandhi to assume the key role, reports said. Rahul Gandhi won Lok Sabha polls from both Wayanad and Raebareli.

The leader of Congress in Lok Sabha will also be Leader of Opposition in the House as the party has won the requisite number of seats in Lok Sabha election.

The Change of Guard Ceremony will not take place on June 8, 15 and 22, 2024 at Rashtrapati Bhavan due to the preparation for the swearing-in-ceremony of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers at Forecourt, Rashtrapati Bhavan and address to both the Houses of Parliament by the President, said an official statement from President's Secretariat.

"The Change of Guard ceremony will not take place on June 8, 15 and 22, 2024 at Rashtrapati Bhavan due to the preparation for the Swearing-in-Ceremony of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers at Forecourt, Rashtrapati Bhavan and address to both the Houses of Parliament by the President," read an official statement.