The INDIA bloc has not yet outright conceded defeat and has instead vowed to continue fighting.
Following the meeting of the alliance’s leaders, INDIA bloc’s Chairperson Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said they will take “will take appropriate steps at the appropriate time”.
Issuing the joint statement on behalf of the INDIA bloc’s constituent parties, Kharge said, “We will take appropriate steps at the appropriate time to realise the people’s desire not to be ruled by the BJP govt. This is our decision that whatever promises we have made to the people, we will keep it up.”
The constituents of the INDIA Bloc thank the people of India for the overwhelming support received by our alliance. The people’s mandate has given a befitting reply to the BJP and their politics of hate, corruption and deprivation. This is a political and moral defeat of Prime… pic.twitter.com/oWyQSrxWBR
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) June 5, 2024
Even as the INDIA bloc performed better than expected and defied pollsters’ predictions, it fell short of the majority-mark of 272 as it could only secure 234 seats. On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has crossed the majority-mark with 292 seats and is expected to stake claim to form the government on Friday and the swearing-in of the third Narendra Modi ministry is expected on the day after.
‘This is a political & moral defeat of PM Modi’
Following the two-hour-long meeting of the INDIA bloc’s leaders, Kharge said the Lok Sabha election results are a “political and moral defeat” of Modi.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha election results, the BJP failed to secure a majority of its own. Even as the BJP is confident of Modi becoming the Prime Minister of India for the third time with the support of the partners in the NDA, the fact that the party failed to get a majority by itself has been taken up by the Opposition. Kharge said the results were a “befitting reply” to the BJP’s politics.
“The people’s mandate has given a befitting reply to the BJP and their politics of hate, corruption and deprivation. This is a political and moral defeat of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. This is a mandate in defence of the Constitution of India and against price rise, unemployment, and crony capitalism and also to save democracy,” said Kharge as he read the joint statement of the alliance.
INDIA bloc leaders hold a meeting at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi. pic.twitter.com/vnFY9tk0SJ
— ANI (@ANI) June 5, 2024
Kharge further said that the INDIA bloc will continue the fight against the “fascist rule of the BJP”.
INDIA bloc will not attempt to form govt, say sources
Even as the INDIA bloc has not yet outright conceded defeat, sources have told CNN-News 18 that the alliance will not attempt to form the government.
The INDIA bloc has concluded that it does not have enough numbers as Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and N Chandrababu Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) remain with the NDA, said sources in the INDIA bloc.
As both the INDIA bloc and the BJP failed to secure a majority, the TDP and JD (U) with their 16 and 12 MPs have emerged as kingmakers and their support is a must for anyone to form the government. Both the TDP and JD (U) are part of the NDA and have pledged their support to the NDA. It is on the back of their support that the NDA is upbeat about forming the next government.
Sources in the INDIA bloc said the alliance “won’t be desperate to form government” and will sit in the Opposition for now.
Earlier on Wednesday, both the INDIA and NDA blocs held meetings of their leaders. While the INDIA bloc —as per sources— decided to sit in the Opposition, the NDA unanimously elected Modi as the alliance’s leader.
#FPNews: The National Democratic Alliance has elected @narendramodi as its leader.
— Firstpost (@firstpost) June 5, 2024
Read more here: ⤵️https://t.co/VAm1y0qGa7
The Firstpost understands that the kingmakers TDP and JD (U) have sought eight and three ministerial berths respectively for their support for the formation of the NDA government. The JD (U) has also sought the formalisation of a common minimum programme for the NDA government.
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