INDIAN president Droupadi Murmu on Friday (7) invited prime minister-elect Narendra Modi as leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to form the next government in New Delhi, three days after the coalition secured a majority in the general elections that took place between April 19 and June 1.
Modi will now take oath as the prime minister for the third time along with members of his new cabinet at 6 pm local time on Sunday (9).
The 73-year-old leader is the third Indian to take oath as the prime minister after a general election after Jawaharlal Nehru and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. However, it was only Nehru before him who served two complete terms before taking up the role for the third time.
Addressing the media after meeting the president, Modi said, "This morning, all NDA allies chose me as the leader and informed the President. The President then called me... and appointed me PM-designate. I told the president Sunday evening will be convenient (for the oath-taking ceremony)."
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He also thanked the voters for giving the NDA a third term.
"NDA, for the third time, has been given a chance to serve the nation. I want to thank the people of this country for giving us this chance... and want to assure them that the pace at which the country developed in the last two terms... we will work at the same pace and with the same dedication."
"NDA government 1, 2, and now 3... this is continuity. We will take the country forward... I have had experience of doing the Prime Minister's job for 10 years and will use this experience well," he said.
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Modi also likened the new Lok Sabha or the Lower House of the Indian parliament - the 18th - to the "youthful energy and zeal to do something" of a teenager.
"In a way it is the first 'azadi ka amrit mahotsav' election."
Earlier on Friday, Modi completed the formality of being named as the leader of the NDA's newly elected MPs. His nomination was proposed by defence minister Rajnath Singh and was endorsed by all parties of the alliance.
The PM-elect then spoke about coalition politics, saying, "Our alliance reflects the spirit of India and we are dedicated to upholding constitutional values. NDA is the most successful..."
The latest general election saw the BJP emerging as the single largest party with 240 seats but failed to achieve the majority figure of 272 to form government on its own, unlike in the 2014 and 2019 elections. It made the Hindu nationalist party dependent on key allies of the NDA such as Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Janata Dal -United (JDU), both of which joined hands with Modi's party ahead of this year's elections.
The TDP has 16 seats while the JD(U) has 12 seats and they together help the NDA reach the figure of 293.
The opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance including the Indian National Congress ended up with 234 seats with the Congress itself getting 99, more than its tallies in 2014 and 2019.
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