NDA Govt Formation Live Updates: Rahul Gandhi to ‘think and decide’ even as CWC ‘unanimously’ asks him to become Leader of Opposition (2024)

Samajwadi Party leader Dimple Yadav, who was elected from Uttar Pradesh's Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency, on Saturday thanked the people of the state for "supporting positive politics".

Speaking to reporters, she said, "I would like to congratulate all the MPs of our Samajwadi Party and also thank all the people of Uttar Pradesh for the work they have done to send a large number of people to the Parliament by supporting positive politics today."

Dimple, who is the wife of SP supremo and former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, contested from the Yadav family bastion of Mainpuri.

She also talked about the incumbent BJP MP Lallu Singh losing to SP MLA Awadhesh Prasad. "I believe that in a democracy if people are not happy, they choose their representatives according to their wishes. The same has happened in Ayodhya that somewhere people were unhappy and they have chosen their MP," she said.

Following the Congress Working Committee meeting on Saturday, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring pitched for Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

Speaking to news agencyANI, he said, "We all have appealed to Rahul Gandhi to become the LoP. He is the only person who can face the Prime Minister. And when Rahul Gandhi will stand up, the youth of the country will feel safe."

Warring, who defeated BJP's Ravneet Singh Bittu (who was earlier with the Congress) in Punjab's Ludhiana constituency, added, "We never wanted an alliance with the AAP in Punjab. Our decision was correct."

The Congress, after its CWC meeting on Saturday, said it was yet to receive an invite for Narendra Modi's swearing-in as the Prime Minister on June 9.

Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal said the party will take a call on whether it will attend the event or not.

Senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh said that only international leaders have been invited for the swearing-in ceremony and not Indian ones.

The LoP is a Member of Parliament who is in charge of the Opposition and the parliamentary chairperson of the largest party, or coalition of parties, with the most seats after the party forming the government. The MP for the post is chosen by the members of that party.

LoP status

The Congress this time got 99 seats and then increased its tally by one – touching the 100 mark – after Independent Lok Sabha member fromMaharashtraVishal Patil extended support to the party. So, there are higher chances of a Congress MP becoming the LoP.

The MP holding the post will also be a member of crucial committees, including Public Accounts, Public Undertakings, Estimates, several Joint Parliamentary Committees, and so on. S/he is also entitled to be a member of various selection committees responsible for appointing heads of statutory bodies like the Central Vigilance Commission, the Central Information Commission, the CBI, the NHRC, and the Lokpal, among others.

CLICK TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THEIR SALARY AND ALLOWANCES

During the first yatra — from September 2022 to January 2023 —Rahul Gandhi covered over 4,000 km across 75 districts and 71 Lok Sabha constituencies in 12 states and two Union territories. The yatra, which started from Kanyakumari and ended in Kashmir, passed through 71 Lok Sabha constituencies, of which the Congress contested 56 seats and won 23 this time.

The second yatra covered 82 Lok Sabha constituencies from January 14 to March 16 this year. The Congress travelled from Imphal in Manipur toMumbaiinMaharashtra, a distance of almost 6,713 km, mostly by bus. Of the 82 constituencies, the Congress contested 49 seats and won 17.

Now, today at the CWC meeting, Kharge said: "I want to draw your attention to the fact that wherever Bharat Jodo Yatra went we saw an increase in the vote percentage and number of seats for the Congress party."

As the Congress deliberates on the Lok Sabha results at the party's Working Committee meeting in Delhi, a section within the party strongly feels that former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi should take over as leader of the party and opposition in the Lok Sabha.

"Our demand is the same as that of 140 crore people of the country that Rahul Gandhi has to take the position of the leader of the opposition," Telangana CM Revanth Reddy said when asked whether Rahul should assume the position of Leader of Opposition in the House. "He has taken the responsibility of fighting for the cause of farmers, women and unemployment for the last 10 years," he added.

The extended meeting of the party's top decision-making body -- the Congress Working Committee (CWC) -- is taking place at Hotel Ashok in New Delhi.

Senior party leaders and members of the CWC, along with Congress Legislature Party leaders and Pradesh Congress Committee presidents from various states, will analyse the party's performance and suggest measures to strengthen the organisation.

The Congress's top brass, including party chief Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress general secretaries K C Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh, besides other leaders, were participating in the deliberations.

Kharge, who has convened the meeting, will also host a dinner for all the extended CWC members and party MPs at the hotel.

A meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party comprising all newly-elected MPs of the Lok Sabha and those of the Rajya Sabha will be held in the Central Hall of Parliament at 5.30 pm.

"While we celebrate the revival, we should pause a little as in some states we have not performed to our abilities and expectations. Further, we could not repeat our performance in states where we had previously done well in Vidhan Sabha elections and formed the government," Kharge says in the CWC meet in Delhi this morning.

He adds: "We will soon be holding separate discussions on each such state. We have to take urgent remedial measures. These are states which have traditionally favoured congress, where we have opportunities which we have to harness not for our own advantage but for the benefit of our people. This exercise I propose to hold very soon."

NDA Govt Formation Live Updates: "The issues that we raised in the election campaign are issues that are bothering the people of India. We have to continue to raise them both in parliament and outside," Kharge highlights.

"We must be disciplined, must be united. The People have reposed their faith back in us in substantial measures and we must build on it. We accept this verdict with genuine humility. Whether we are in power or not, Congress party’s work continues. We have to work amongst our people 24 hours, 365 days and raise their issues."

"In Manipur, we won both the seats. We also won seats in Nagaland, Assam, and Meghalaya. In Maharashtra, we emerged as the single-largest party. People from all walks of life supported the congress party to save the country’s democracy and constitution."

"Other than this, we saw an increase in seats dominated by SC, ST, OBC, and Minority voters as well as in Rural areas. Going forward, we have to make our presence felt in urban areas as well."

"I want to draw your attention to the fact that wherever Bharat Jodo Yatra went we saw an increase in the vote percentage and number of seats for the Congress party," Kharge says in the CWC meeting.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra and Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, held one year apart, were designed as a voter outreach and an exercise to build Rahul Gandhi’s image. In the constituencies along the route of the two yatras, theCongress and its current INDIA bloc allies— many of whom had contested on their own in 2019 — gained 41 seats.

When asked if Rahul Gandhi is ready to take charge as LoP in Lok Sabha, Congress leader Veerappa Moily says, "He has to take charge of the LoP. Afterall, the people want him there. INDIA team and Congress people also want him there."

Moily talks about key discussion points in CWC meet

"We need to discuss many things - the manner in which the Congress and also INDIA scored a very high percentage of votes and also the seats. Of course, we should have won and captured the power and Rahul Gandhi should have become the Prime Minister of this country. But we missed it. But now, Narendra Modi is not that great, he has been totally pulled down in terms of popularity, in terms of vote share. I think we are marching forward, and if not today, tomorrow the Congress - under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi - has to come back," speaking to reporters ahead of the CWC meet.

Congress leader Manickam Tagore toldANI there is a feeling among many party leaders that Rahul Gandhi should assume charge of Lok Sabha. "In the CWC meeting, we are going to review the performance of the Congress party in the 2024 elections. In the CPP meeting scheduled at 5:30 pm, the Congress party will elect the CPP chairperson... For the Congress' leader in the Lok Sabha, we all feel Rahul Gandhi should be given charge. If he accepts this role, he will be LoP leading the 234 INDIA bloc MPs," he said.

Ahead of the CWC meeting, Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain said that proposals will come over multiple things. "I don't know what proposal will come before the CWC. The proposal will come over a lot of things. Since this is the new Lok Sabha - 18th Lok Sabha - fresh CPP will be formed. The CPP Chairperson will be elected. After that, the Congress President and CPP Chairperson will together form the new CPP team. LoP will have to be appointed. They will make the appointments. It was a very well-fought election, a long-drawn campaign. CWC - the highest decision-making body is having a meeting today. Results, the complete election process, strengths, and weaknesses. All of these will be discussed. The road ahead, State Elections, the stand to be taken ahead will be discussed too," he toldANI.

“Our wish is the same as the demand of 140 crore people. (Congress MP) Rahul Gandhi has to take the position as Leader of Opposition (in the Lok Sabha),” says Telangana CM Revanth Reddy who arrived in New Delhi this morning to attend the Congress Working Committee meeting.

Party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will be present as well.

After electing Modi as the Parliamentary Party leader in the NDA meeting on Friday, TDP chief and Andhra Pradesh CM-designate Chandrababu Naidu leaves for Vijayawada.

#WATCH | TDP Chief Chandrababu Naidu reaches Delhi Airport as he departs for Vijayawada. pic.twitter.com/SsRdNo4UXh

— ANI (@ANI) June 8, 2024

Telangana CM Revanth Reddy arrives at 10 Janpath, the residence of Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

The CWC meeting is set to begin shortly.

• President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe
• President of Maldives Mohamed Muizzu
• Vice-President of Seychelles Ahmed Afif
• Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina
• Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth
• Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda'
• Prime Minister of Bhutan Tshering Tobgay

At the NDA meeting in the Central Hall on Friday, Modi was elected as the Leader of the Parliamentary Party unanimously. Here's what he said in his speech in which he framed the Lok Sabha poll mandate:

- Avoiding any reference to the 63-seat dip, Modi talked about the “resounding” NDA victory. “Na haare the, na haare hain(We did not lose then, we haven’t lost now)… Everyone knows it is a government of the NDA.To haare kaise bhai(So, how did we lose)?”

- “Even after 10 years, the Congress has not been able to touch 100. Add the seats of the Congress in the past three elections… we got more than that this time.”

- “See the strength of democracy that people have given the NDA a chance to serve them in 22 states. Our alliance mirrors India’s spirit and soul. There are 10 states in India where tribals have a significant presence. Among these, the NDA is serving in seven. We are dedicated to ‘Sarva Panth, Sama Bhava (All Religions, Same Spirit)’.”

- “The country has lived under the NDA for 10 years. People saw what a government is, who it works for, for the first time. In the next 10 years, the NDA government – it will be there for the next 10 years, I say it seriously — will bring good governance, development and minimal dakhal(interference) to the lives of the middle-class and upper middle-class. We will write a new chapter ofvikas, good governance, and fulfill the dreams of developed India.”

- “The country won’t run as per breaking news,yeh maan ke chaliye(let that be clear).”

Here's how Jairam Ramesh's early Satuday post onXread:

"The drumbeat to find silver linings in the mandate that has been a moral, political, and personal defeat for Narendra Modi has started. It is being propagated that Mr. Narendra Modi is the first to receive a mandate thrice in a row after Jawaharlal Nehru. How leading a party to 240 seats and becoming an ??-????? Pradhan Mantri is a mandate is not explained. Nehru, on the other hand, got 364 seats in 1952, 371 seats in 1957, and 361 seats in 1962 - a 2/3rd majority each time. Yet he remained a complete democrat, nurturing Parliament so very carefully with his constant presence Neither is Modi the only man since Nehru to be sworn in thrice - in a row or not. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was sworn in thrice in 1996, 1998 and 1999. And Indira Gandhi was sworn in 4 times-in 1966, 1967, 1971 and 1980. The drumbeaters will look for anything to justify Mr. Narendra Modi's pathetic electoral performance in 2024."

This comes a day ahead of the swearing-in ceremony on Sunday evening

At 11 am today, the CWC meet chaired by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge is likely to discuss names for position of the Leader of the Opposition (LoP).

Senior leader Rahul Gandhi -- who has won from both Wayanad and Rae Bareli -- will be present along with Sonia Gandhi, K C Venugopal among others.

Later in the day, the CPP has scheduled a meeting. The party chairperson post is currently held by Sonia Gandhi. She is now in the Rajya Sabha after deciding not to contest from the traditional Gandhi family bastion of Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli, from where her son and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi won.

Addressing the elected MPs of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) this morning, including BJP Chief Ministers and Deputy CMs, PM-elect Narendra Modi described NDA as a “30-year-old”, “organic” alliance, and underlined that it had run successful governments for three terms during this period.

He also stressed that the NDA mirrored “India’s diversity”, mentioning different social groups, referring to the coalition multiple times in his speech and avoiding mentioning himself in the third person.

We take a look at 5 key takeaways from his speech

In the Lok Sabha election results declared on Tuesday, the Bharatiya Janata Party was reduced to 240 seats, failing to reach the majority mark of 272. This leaves it dependent on the support of its allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), particularly Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister-elect Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which has 16 seats, and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), with a strength of 12 seats.

Both the parties have put forth a list of demands, including preference for ministerial berths and the Speaker’s post.

The JD(U)’s tryst with the NDA is a well-told story, involving various exits and re-entries. However, the TDP’s too has been pretty eventful. We take a look.

In his first remarks after staking claim to form the government for the third time, Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi mentioned the role played by media professionals during the elections.

He said, "Just like us, media persons also have to work hard during elections, covering different locations. You all have taken a lot of pain, and I hope that health of all my friends from the media world is good."

In his first remarks after staking claim to form the government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi noted that it was the first election since the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', which had marked 75 years of India's Independence.

He also said the mandate of the 18th Lok Sabha elections provided the NDA government with more opportunities to serve the people of India.

In the latest edition of his weekly column for The Indian Express, RSS's Ram Madhav has written about the re-emergence of coalition politics after the Lok Sabha election results and what message can be learnt from this.

Here are some excerpts:

1. "For the supporters of the BJP, it is a matter of relief and reassurance that the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is returning to office. Although numerically diminished, the BJP emerged as the only party capable of providing a stable government compared to any other arrangement."

2."From the country’s standpoint, these results have a mixed message. Speaking to a news channel during the election campaign PM Modi said that he missed a “strong Opposition in 2014 to 2024”. “If there is one thing missing in my life, it is that of a good opposition,” he remarked. A strong Opposition does seem to be on the cards, but only experience can tell if it would be a “good Opposition”."

Read the full opinion piece here

Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi called upon former President Ram Nath Kovind at his residence on Friday, hours after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) elected him as their Leader in the Lok Sabha.

Kovind was the first Dalit President of India.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Friday said the people of India did not vote for Narendra Modi in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, and that he will become the Prime Minister for the third time only due to "borrowed benevolence".

In an editorial in its Tamil-language mouthpiece Murasoli, the party said Modi sought votes in the name of God and when that campaign strategy did not work, he started claiming he was "God himself". He will become the PM now only due to the support of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister-elect N Chandrababu Naidu and Bihar CM and Janata Dal (United) supremo Nitish Kumar.

"Enough of making tall claims, assuring that (you will) do this and that with 400 seats and 370 seats; fulfill everyday needs of the Indian people. Create an India that is without tears and worries. That is enough," the June 7 editorial said.

"We see with our eyes the saffron party falling into an abyss," the editorial said. "Modi alone should own up responsibility for a setback and defeat of this kind. It is because he thought of showcasing election victory as his own individual achievement. As it has failed, that failure is also his own individual defeat."

Congratulating Narendra Modi for being unanimously elected by the National Democratic Alliance as its Parliamentary Party leader and the Leader of the House in the Lok Sabha, Rajnath Singh said the alliance has 'grown due to Modiji's leadership, efficiency and vision.'

In a post on social media platform X, Singh, who was the Defence Minister in the outgoing NDA government, wrote: 'Since the time of Atalji, the NDA has been identified as a family that upholds coalition dharma. For us, coalition is not a compulsion but a commitment.'

He added, 'The Central Government has completed its successful ten years under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. In these ten years, there has been a revolutionary change in the condition, direction and mood of India. In the last ten years, the country has reached a stage where not only the citizens of India but all the countries of the world have become confident that along with being developed, our country has the ability to give leadership and new direction to the entire world.'

Singh also said, 'As a result of the unprecedented work done in India under the leadership of Modiji in the last ten years, India has moved towards strengthening itself not for decades but for centuries. Many congratulations and best wishes to him.'

'I am fully committed to nation, I'm available 24/7; we all need to work together for the country,' says Modi.

He ends his address.