Editor's Pick | BJP falls short, needs allies to govern

Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a third term in power on Tuesday, but he will be dependent on allies as the Bharatiya Janata Party fell almost 32 short of the halfway mark of 272 seats in the Lok Sabha. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 291 seats against the Congress-led INDIA bloc’s 234 seats. The Congress won 99 seats compared to 52 in 2019. The BJP faced setbacks in strongholds and ended up with lower tallies in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, while its southern foray came a cropper and its hopes of expanding in West Bengal were dashed. Odisha went according to the BJP’s script where it won power for the first time and posted 19 out of 21 Lok Sabha seats. The Congress’s unprecedented outreach to OBC voters in alliance with the Samajwadi Party paid rich dividends in Uttar Pradesh where the alliance won 44 seats, bringing the BJP tally down to 35 from its earlier tally of 62 seats in 2019. In Bihar, the Congress-RJD alliance on the same plank failed to enthuse the voters and the NDA alliance held its own. In West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee bagged 29 seats of 42; the BJP won 12 and the Congress 1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed BJP workers and leaders at the party headquarters in New Delhi late in the evening asserting that a third term to the NDA was historic. He heaped praise on the Election Commission (EC) for having successfully concluded the world’s biggest exercise of franchise, and also acknowledged the role of women voters in these polls for their larger turnout, terming himself of having been “blessed” with their support. In an acknowledgement of the new realities of the NDA government’s dependence on the support of two allies, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Janata Dal (United), he said: “In Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, under Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Babu [Nitish Kumar], the NDA has had a stellar performance.” Mr. Modi also noted that the year would mark 75 years of the framing of the Indian Constitution, stating “our Constitution is our guiding light. We will work hard for the development of our nation. This is the time to move forward in unity for the bright future of the country.” He reiterated his government’s commitment to the welfare of SC/ST community. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who won from both his seats, Wayanad and Rae Bareli, addressed the media with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and said the people had voted against the policies of Prime Minister Modi.With 28 seats between them, N. Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) hold the balance of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in their hands. Both parties have pledged their allegiance to the NDA and have confirmed that they will be present at the alliance’s meeting scheduled for Wednesday. This has not stopped the INDIA bloc, which is more than 40 seats short of the majority mark, from courting them. In an editorial, the Hindu pointed out that the verdict of the people cannot be clearer than this: “It wants the BJP to be more conciliatory and less confrontational towards the political aspirations of various communities and regions of India. The verdict also shows the limits of communal polarisation as a mobilisation strategy. The BJP must heed that message in a democratic spirit, and reorient itself to the reality of the reemergence of coalition politics after 10 years.” The Congress too, it noted, should respect the verdict. “India has once again proved to itself and the world that it is a vibrant, functioning democracy. The new government has a responsibility to live up to the expectations of the people, and they are much more than a voter base,” the editorial said. The Hindu’s Editorials People at the centre: On the Election results 2024 The Hindu’s Daily Quiz Who is the current solicitor-general of India? Harish Salve Mukul Rohatgi Kapil Sibal Tushar Mehta To know the correct answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 05 June 2024 [The Hindu logo] [EP Logo] Editor's Pick 05 June 2024 In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( BJP falls short, needs allies to govern [Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a third term in power on Tuesday]( but he will be dependent on allies as the Bharatiya Janata Party fell almost 32 short of the halfway mark of 272 seats in the Lok Sabha. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 291 seats against the Congress-led INDIA bloc’s 234 seats. The Congress won 99 seats compared to 52 in 2019. The BJP faced setbacks in strongholds and ended up with lower tallies in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, while its southern foray came a cropper and its hopes of expanding in West Bengal were dashed. Odisha went according to the BJP’s script where it won power for the first time and posted 19 out of 21 Lok Sabha seats. The Congress’s unprecedented outreach to OBC voters in alliance with the Samajwadi Party paid rich dividends in Uttar Pradesh where the alliance won 44 seats, bringing the BJP tally down to 35 from its earlier tally of 62 seats in 2019. In Bihar, the Congress-RJD alliance on the same plank failed to enthuse the voters and the NDA alliance held its own. In West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee bagged 29 seats of 42; the BJP won 12 and the Congress 1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed BJP workers and leaders at the party headquarters in New Delhi late in the evening asserting that a third term to the NDA was historic. He heaped praise on the Election Commission (EC) for having successfully concluded the world’s biggest exercise of franchise, and also acknowledged the role of women voters in these polls for their larger turnout, terming himself of having been “blessed” with their support. In an acknowledgement of the new realities of the NDA government’s dependence on the support of two allies, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Janata Dal (United), he said: “In Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, under [Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Babu [Nitish Kumar]]( the NDA has had a stellar performance.” Mr. Modi also noted that the year would mark 75 years of the framing of the Indian Constitution, stating “our Constitution is our guiding light. We will work hard for the development of our nation. This is the time to move forward in unity for the bright future of the country.” He reiterated his government’s commitment to the welfare of SC/ST community. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who won from both his seats, Wayanad and Rae Bareli, addressed the media with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and said the people had voted against the policies of Prime Minister Modi.With 28 seats between them, N. Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) hold the balance of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in their hands. Both parties have pledged their allegiance to the NDA and have confirmed that they will be present at the alliance’s meeting scheduled for Wednesday. This has not stopped the INDIA bloc, which is more than 40 seats short of the majority mark, from courting them. In an editorial, the Hindu pointed out that the verdict of the people cannot be clearer than this: “It wants the BJP to be more conciliatory and less confrontational towards the political aspirations of various communities and regions of India. The verdict also shows the limits of communal polarisation as a mobilisation strategy. The BJP must heed that message in a democratic spirit, and reorient itself to the reality of the reemergence of coalition politics after 10 years.” The Congress too, it noted, should respect the verdict. “India has once again proved to itself and the world that it is a vibrant, functioning democracy. The new government has a responsibility to live up to the expectations of the people, and they are much more than a voter base,” the editorial said. The Hindu’s Editorials [Arrow][People at the centre: On the Election results 2024]( The Hindu’s Daily Quiz Who is the current solicitor-general of India? - Harish Salve - Mukul Rohatgi - Kapil Sibal - Tushar Mehta To know the correct answer and to play the full quiz,[click here](. 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