NEW DELHI, June 6: The newly elected MPs of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance are expected to meet on Friday to elect Mr Narendra Modi as the leader of the NDA Parliamentary party paving the way for him to take oath as Prime Minister for a third term.
The swearing-in is likely to be held on June 9. After Mr Modi’s election as the leader, senior NDA leaders including TDP’s N. Chandrababu Naidu and JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar will join the Prime Minister for a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu to present her the list of parliamentarians supporting him, the NDA sources said.
The NDA has 293 MPs, comfortably above the majority mark of 272 in the 543-member Lok Sabha. All NDA constituents are likely to present letters of their support to the President for Mr Modi as the new Prime Minister on Friday, the sources added.
Senior BJP leaders met at the party’s national president J.P. Nadda’s residence in what was seen as part of the party’s exercise to reach out to allies over issues like their share of ministerial berths and pick the probables from within their party for the coalition government.
Preparing to take oath for a third straight term as the head of a coalition government, Mr Modi on Wednesday chaired a meeting of the leaders of the ruling alliance parties who unanimously elected him as its leader. Leaders of the BJP’s ally Janata Dal (United) also held deliberations with party president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
(Manas Dasgupta)