(New Delhi) The Hindu nationalist party of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed on Wednesday with its allies to form a government coalition, after losing its absolute majority in the legislative elections.
“We have all unanimously chosen the respected leader of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Narendra Modi, as leader,” reads the statement of this alliance comprising small parties, published by the party Mr Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“The NDA government, under the leadership of Mr. Modi, is committed to serving the poor, women, youth, farmers and the exploited, deprived and oppressed citizens of India,” it added.
The 15 allied parties have a total of 293 seats in parliament, thus securing control of it.
The day after an unexpected mixed victory for Mr. Modi’s BJP, the latter risks a third term more difficult than expected.
“It will force Modi to adopt the views of others—we will see more democracy and a healthy parliament,” said Nilanajan Mukhopadhyay, author of a biography of the prime minister. “He’s going to have to be the leader he never was. We are going to see a new Modi. »
According to Indian media, the prime minister is expected to take the oath of office on Saturday.
“India takes down Modi,” headlined The Telegraph daily on Wednesday. The online newspaper Mint mocked “The Karma Coalition.”
Some 642 million Indians voted in this election held over six weeks.
The 73-year-old leader celebrated the victory on Tuesday evening, believing that the election result allowed him to continue his program, while his supporters celebrated the event across the country.
“This third term will be one of big decisions. The country will write a new chapter in its development. I guarantee it,” Mr. Modi told a cheering crowd in the capital, New Delhi.
The BJP won 240 seats in Parliament, 32 seats short of an absolute majority and significantly short of the 303 seats it won in 2019.
Against all expectations, the Congress, the main opposition party, gained 99 seats, almost doubling its 2019 score (52 seats). Party president Mallikarjun Kharge said the poll result was a vote against Modi “and the substance and style of his policies”.
“The country told Narendra Modi: ‘We don’t want you,’” said opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, re-elected handily in the southern constituency of Wayanad.
Most analysts and exit polls had predicted the triumph of Narendra Modi, accused by his detractors of exploiting justice with the imprisonment of opposition leaders and of flouting the rights of religious minorities in particular, including more of 200 million Indian Muslims.
The prime minister was re-elected in his Varanasi constituency with a much smaller margin than five years ago.
Now dependent on its coalition allies, the BJP will have to seek consensus to get its texts voted on in Parliament.
“The possibility that they will use their influence, encouraged by proposals from the Congress party and other members of the opposition, will be a source of constant concern for the BJP,” underlines the daily Times of India.
According to Hartosh Singh Bal, political journalist for The Caravan magazine, Mr Modi must now “work with his partners […] who can walk away at any time”.
The opposition struggled in the face of the powerful campaign machine of the BJP, abundantly financed, and legal proceedings against several of its leaders, but the results made it smile again.
“The BJP has failed to get a large majority on its own,” Congress MP Rajeev Shukla told reporters on Tuesday evening. “It is a moral defeat for them.”
The Muslim minority has expressed concern for its future and that of India’s secular Constitution, which the Hindu nationalist agenda appears to threaten.
Neighboring rival China, congratulating the coalition led by Narendra Modi, declared itself “ready to work” with India.
In Russia, President Vladimir Putin called Mr. Modi and “warmly congratulated him,” according to the Kremlin.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wished his Indian counterpart “all the best,” according to Downing Street.
The United States looked forward to “continuing (its) partnership with the Indian government to promote prosperity and innovation, address the climate crisis, and ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”
European Council President Charles Michel wrote on X that “the European Union looks forward to continuing to deepen our strategic partnership with India.”
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had offered his congratulations to Mr. Modi, emphasizing “the weight and importance of India in world affairs.”