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Govt formation: INDIA bloc to meet at Kharge's residence, Union cabinet at Modi’s

New Delhi: Hectic parleys are on at the national capital following the declaration of the Lok Sabha Election results on Tuesday. The INDIA bloc leaders will meet at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's residence on Wednesday evening to discuss various strategies, including the formation of the government and the possibility of reaching out to former allies Nitish Kumar and N Chandrababu Naidu. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders also met at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s place on Wednesday.

"The INDIA Janbandhan leaders will be meeting today at 6 pm at 10, Rajaji Marg to discuss the election results and strategy after that," Kharge said in a post on X.
The opposition leaders will deliberate on the Lok Sabha poll results and whether to bring the Janata Dal (United) and Telugu Desam Party on board to cobble up a government. INDIA leaders, including Sharad Pawar, M K Stalin, Champai Soren, Uddhav Thackeray, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, Sitaram Yechury, and D Raja are likely to attend the meeting, along with Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. The TMC will be represented by Abhishek Banerjee, who will come from Kolkata.

Meanwhile, PM Modi is also chairing the last meeting of the Union cabinet at his residence on Wednesday. The cabinet may also recommend the dissolution of the current Lok Sabha, as its term ends on June 16.
Modi's BJP-led NDA has secured a majority in the 543-member Lok Sabha, surpassing the 272-seat mark needed to form a government. However, for the first time since 2014, the saffron party has fallen short of an outright majority, winning 240 seats only. This makes Modi critically dependent on his allies for government formation. The NDA allies, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)), Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) (LJP) have won 16, 12, seven and five seats respectively. The election outcome caused unease among investors, leading to a sharp decline in stock markets on Tuesday, as Modi's reliance on disparate regional parties became evident.

JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Lallan Singh and Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu, who is set to become the next Andhra Pradesh chief minister, were also reportedly attended the meeting at the PM’s residence. According to Deccan Herald, the Prime Minister is expected to submit his resignation in the coming days, and Circuit One will be closed to the public between June 5 and 9 to facilitate the swearing-in ceremony, scheduled for June 10, the report added.

The election results were also significant for the Congress-led INDIA alliance, which secured 230 seats, outperforming expectations and exit poll predictions. The Congress party alone won 99 seats, nearly double its 2019 tally of 52, marking a notable resurgence that is likely to enhance Rahul Gandhi's standing. Meanwhile, The TDP and JDU have already dismissed suggestions of defecting to the opposition alliance and have clearly stated that they will remain with the NDA. PTI sources, however, said the Congress and some other party leaders are already trying to woo them.
Rahul Gandhi had earlier asserted that the Congress would not take any decision on government formation without holding consultations with its alliance partners. He also refrained from commenting on whether the alliance will reach out to TDP and JD(U).
(With PTI inputs)