PM Modi Tenders Resignation to President, Likely to Take Oath For Third Term on June 8

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday tendered his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu, who accepted it and asked him to continue till the new government assumes office, a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said. He is expected to be sworn-in for a third consecutive term on June 8 evening, following the NDA's narrow victory in securing 292 seats, just surpassing the majority threshold. If the NDA forms the government, PM Modi will become the second leader to retain power for a third term after former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

Earlier today, PM Modi held a Union Cabinet meeting to review the Lok Sabha election results and discuss issues related to forming the next government, as per sources.

The meeting at the Prime Minister's residence began at 11:30 a.m. This meeting was the final session of the Modi 2.0 Cabinet and Council of Ministers. During the meeting, the Cabinet will also recommended the dissolution of the current Lok Sabha, whose term ends on June 16.

Meanwhile, senior NDA leaders began arriving in Delhi for an alliance meeting scheduled for 4 pm. During this meeting, the leaders are expected to discuss the specifics of forming the new government.

As per the results of the Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission of India has declared results for 542 of the 543 Lok Sabha constituencies, with the BJP winning 240 seats and the Congress 99.

The BJP victory tally was much lower than its 2019 tally of 303 and the 282 seats it had won in 2014. The Congress, on the other hand, registered a strong growth, winning 99 seats compared to 52 that it had won in 2019 and 44 seats in 2014.

The INDIA bloc crossed the 230 mark, posing stiff competition, and defying all predictions from exit polls.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has secured a third term, but the BJP will need to rely on the support of other parties in his coalition - JD (U) chief Nitish Kumar and TDP's chief Chandrababu Naidu.

The BJP fell 32 seats short of the 272 majority mark after votes polled in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were counted. For the first time, since the Bharatiya Janata Party swept to power in 2014, it did not secure a majority on its own.

Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the people for the mandate and said BJP-led NDA will form its third successive government and that it is the victory of the resolve of Viksit Bharat, of 'Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas' and of the strong faith of people in India's Constitution.

"On this sacred day, it is confirmed that NDA is forming the government for the third time. We are grateful to the people, they reposed full faith in the BJP, and NDA. This is the victory of the world's largest democracy, it is a victory of strong faith in India's Constitution, it is the victory of the resolve of Viksit Bharat. It is the victory of 'Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas'," he said in his address at the BJP headquarters on Tuesday.