Modi takes victory lap to Delhi
Thousands of flag-waving supporters mobbed Indian prime minister-elect Narendra Modi as he made a triumphant entrance in New Delhi yesterday after securing a historic victory for his Hindu nationalist party.
The victory lap continued to the sacred city of Varanasi, from where he stood for parliament, ending on the banks of the Ganges which is revered by Hindus and is believed to cleanse sins. Modi offered prayers by the river Ganges in a religious ceremony beamed live on television that underlined his Hindu nationalist roots.
"Mother Ganges has decided my course. I will work under her guidance," Modi told the crowd while thanking local residents who elected him by a crushing margin of 370,000 votes.
Meanwhile, party sources said Modi will be elected the leader of the party's parliamentary group on May 20, formally paving the way for his becoming the prime minister of India.
A meeting of BJP Parliamentary Board, the highest decision-making body of the party chaired by BJP chief Rajnath Singh, took the decision to elect Modi, 63, as the parliamentary party leader, which is a mere formality, Singh told the media after a meeting of the Board here.
The Board meeting was attended by Modi, L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Sushma Swaraj and other top leaders of BJP.
Singh said no date has so far been fixed for Modi's swearing in ceremony but it is likely to be decided on May 20 when the BJP parliamentary party meets.
Sources said Modi may meet President Pranab Mukherjee on May 21 and stake to claim to form government. BJP leaders are also likely consult RSS leadership in forming the government.
Senior leaders like Murli Manohar Joshi, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj are likely to be inducted into Modi's cabinet.
Meanwhile, as counting of votes was completed today, BJP finished with 282 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha, ten more than required for absolute majority on its own. The party-led National Democratic Alliance has secured 336 seats. On the other hand, Congress, ended up with just 44 seats.
BIHAR CM NITISH KUMAR RESIGNS
A day after his party JD(U)'s poor show in the Lok Sabha elections, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar resigned yesterday. The JD (U) had managed to get just 2 seats out of 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Kumar's resignation has come amid reports of dissent in the party following the poor show in the general elections.
ASSAM CM TO RESIGN
Taking responsibility for his party's dismal performance, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi yesterday said that he would tender his resignation to party president Sonia Gandhi within a week's time. Gogoi said his party's long stay in power might have affected the outcome.
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