Narendra Modi was on Friday elected as the Leader of the Lower House of Parliament by Lok Sabha MPs of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, paving the way for him to take oath as the prime minister for a third term.

The Leader of the Lok Sabha is usually the prime minister. Modi will be sworn-in as the prime minister on Sunday.

“I wholeheartedly welcome all the leaders of the National Democratic Alliance,” Modi said while addressing his party’s allies in the Parliament complex. “I congratulate those who have emerged victorious.”

Modi also thanked all the party workers who campaigned during the elections. “All the workers who have emerged victorious deserve congratulations, but I bow my head in respect to the lakhs of workers who have worked day and night, the efforts and hard work of every party worker in this scorching heat,” he said.

The prime minister also remarked that the Opposition Congress had not managed to secure even a 100 seats in the Lok Sabha even after 10 years, reported Moneycontrol.

“If we combine the 2014, 2019 and 2024 elections, Congress did not get as many seats has BJP got in this election,” Modi said. “I can clearly see the people of the INDI alliance were sinking slowly earlier, now they are going to sink at a fast pace.”

“The Opposition tried to paint the 2024 Lok Sabha results as a loss for us but the people of our country know we never lost,” Modi added. “I see the 2024 Lok Sabha results as a grand victory for the National Democratic Alliance but the opposition tried to reject our victory.”

Modi on Friday was joined by his allies, Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu and Janata Dal (United) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

“Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, the nation has been transformed into a global powerhouse,” Naidu said during the meeting of the coalition’s Parliamentary Party, reported The Hindu. “I have been in politics for four decades, I can say prime minister Modi has made India proud. We are confident that in the next tenure, he will make India the greatest economy.”

Meanwhile, Kumar said that the alliance would regain all the seats won by the Opposition in the Lok Sabha elections, the newspaper reported.

“All the pending works of Bihar will be done,” The Indian Express quoted Kumar as saying. “It is a very good thing that all of us have come together and we will all work together with you [Modi]. You will be sworn-in as the prime minister on Sunday, but I wanted you to do it today itself.”

The BJP won 240 Lok Sabha seats in the general election, a significant dip from its tally of 303 seats in 2019. A party or alliance requires 272 seats in the 543-member Lower House of Parliament to form a government at the Centre.

With the BJP falling 32 seats short of the majority, it is forming the government with the support of its partners in the National Democratic Alliance. The final tally of the National Democratic Alliance parties is 292 seats.

The Telugu Desam Party and the Janata Dal (United) have reportedly sought key portfolios in the incoming Union cabinet. The two leaders are also likely to seek special category status for their states.

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