NEW DELHI, June 6 (AFP); Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was preparing Thursday to be sworn in for a third term after an unexpectedly close election that forced his party into a coalition government.
Modi's Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had ruled for the past decade with an outright majority, had been expecting another landslide win.
But results of the six-week election released Tuesday ran counter to exit polls, seeing the BJP lose its majority and sending it into quick-fire talks to lock in an alliance that would allow it to govern.
That 15-member grouping -- the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition -- announced late Wednesday that they had agreed to form a government.
"We all unanimously choose respected NDA leader Narendra Modi as our leader," a BJP-issued alliance statement said.
The alliance has 293 seats in parliament, giving it control of the 543-seat body.
Indian media reports said Modi would be sworn in as prime minister on Saturday.
Analysts said Modi's reliance on coalition partners means he faces the prospect of a far tougher-than-expected third term.
"It will force Modi to take the point of view of others -- we shall see more democracy and a healthy parliament," said Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, who has written a biography of Modi.
Modi readies for third term after securing coalition
FE Team | Published: June 06, 2024 21:55:11
Modi readies for third term after securing coalition
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