India election results: Modi accused of stock market manipulation as BJP sets date for his inauguration

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi met today with LK Advani, 96, after discussions with members of his BJP-led National democratic Alliance.

Mr Advani was home minister in the last BJP-led government that was forced to rely on alliance partners for a majority, during the tenure of prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Mr Advani was charged in connection with the 1992 destruction of Babri mosque by a Hindu mob, where two decades later, Mr Modi would inaugurate the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

The demolition of the mosque in northern Uttar Pradesh state unleashed some of the deadliest religious riots across the country since independence in 1947, killing about 2,000 people.

Mr Advani was later cleared in 2020 and in January 2024 was conferred with the country’s highest civilian award – the Bharat Ratna.

As the leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) gathered at Parliament to officially name Narendra Modi the head of the alliance, Bihar chief minister and key ally Nitish Kumar pledged his support for the government under him.

“It is a very good thing that all of us have come together and we will all work together with you (PM Modi). You will be taking oath as the Prime Minister on Sunday, but I wanted you to do it today itself. Whenever you take the oath, we will be with you… We will all work together under your leadership,” he said.

Hitting out at the Congress-led INDIA alliance, he said: “The Opposition has done nothing. I feel that the next time you (Modi) come back to power, they will not win any of the seats they did this time.”

Until January 2024, Kumar was a part of the opposition bloc comprising of over two-dozen parties before he switched sides to join BJP-led NDA.

Congress failed to win 100 seats even after 10 years of BJP incumbency, said prime minister Narendra Modi today, as he attacked the main opposition party for an election performance that was far better than expected.

While Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party secured 240 seats, Congress got 99 seats. Critics, however, have pointed out that the election was far from fair for the opposition, with its leaders arrested and bank accounts frozen. With its allies included, Congress and the INDIA bloc still managed 230 seats in total.

“Their total seats in the last 3 Lok Sabha polls are fewer than our tally in this election alone,” Modi boasted.

“I strongly feel people of INDI Alliance belong to previous century when they question tech advancements like EVMs, Aadhaar,” he said, referring to concerns over the ease of rigging electronic voting machines ahead of the results.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi will be sworn in for a third term on the evening of 9 June, the spokesperson of the second largest party in his National Democratic Alliance (NDA) told Reuters.

Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA won 293 seats in the general election held over the last seven weeks.

Mr Modi will be only the second person after India’s independence hero and first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru to hold office for three consecutive terms.

Speaking today after his National Democratic Alliance (NDA) parliamentary meeting, which reaffirmed his position as its prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi said: “Very few people discuss this, perhaps it doesn’t suit them. But look at the strength of the great democracy of India – today, people have given NDA the opportunity to form a government and serve in 22 states… our alliance reflects the spirit of India.”

Claiming it to be the “most successful alliance in India’s history,” he said, “our aim will be to reach unanimity in all our decisions.”

“We are committed to principle of ‘sarva panth sambhava’ (religious equality)… NDA is not a grouping of parties that have come together for power, it’s an organic alliance committed to principle of ‘nation first’,” he said.

JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar, speaking at the NDA’s parliamentary meeting today, reasserted his support for the Narendra Modi-led alliance, saying: “I will be with PM Modi at all times.”

“It is a very good thing that all of us have come together and we will all work together with you [Modi]. You will be swearing in as the Prime Minister on Sunday, but I wanted you to do it today itself. Whenever you take the oath, we will be with you…We will all work together under your leadership,” the Bihar chief minister said.

Also endorsing Narendra Modi as prime minister, fellow NDA alliance party leader Chandrababu Naidu said: “He has a vision and a zeal, his execution is very perfect. He is executing all his policies with a true spirit…Today, India is having the right leader – that is Narendra Modi.”

Who are the key alliance partners for Modi’s third term? Report:

The Delhi-based Aam Aadmi Party has said it would not form an alliance with fellow opposition party Congress to fight the assembly elections in the Indian capital next year.

Delhi minister Gopal Rai said that the party joined hands with Congress only for the Lok Sabha elections.

The decision to go solo comes after the party underperformed during the general election.

“It was decided in the meeting that on 8 June, we will hold a meeting with councillors and on 13 June, a meeting will be held with all party workers in Delhi.

Since Kejriwal is in jail, our struggle will continue,” he said referring to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Having contested 22 seats across five states – Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat and Assam – AAP ended up winning in just three.

A Kashmiri politician who won the election in his constituency despite being in jail on charges of funding terrorism has requested bail to attend the oath-taking ceremony.

Sheikh Abdul Rashid, widely known as Engineer Rashid for his past as a construction engineer, was elected as the MP from Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla constituency.

He beat the well-known former chief minister of the state, Omar Abdullah, by over 200,000 votes.

Rashid entered a bail plea on 4 June. Judge Chander Jit Singh has requested a response from National Investigative Agency in the case and the matter is expected to be heard today.

Rashid is currently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail under anti-terror laws, and has been held since 2019.

He has not been allowed to talk to his family over the phone since January this year, a family member told the Frontline magazine.

Congratulating Rashid, Omar Abdullah posted on X: “I don’t believe his victory will hasten his release from prison nor will the people of North Kashmir get the representation they have a right to but the voters have spoken and in a democracy that’s all that matters.”

A special court in the southern Indian state of Karnataka has granted bail to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case filed by a local politician from Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.

The case filed by Keshav Prasad alleged that Congress engaged in propaganda by publishing full-page advertisements accusing the previous BJP government in the state of charging a 40 per cent commission for providing government projects.

Earlier, two other Congress party members – chief minister of state Siddaramaiah and deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar – were granted bail on 1 June.

They also sought exemption from personal appearance.

Gandhi skipped that hearing, and the court set the next date for today, directing that he should appear in person.

Narendra Modi will take oath as Prime Minister for the third time on 9 June , Sunday, at 6pm, said BJP spokesperson Prahlad Joshi at the parliamentary meeting.

Earlier, members of BJP-led National Democratic Alliance met in the parliament to elect the Mr Modi as the bloc’s leader and prime ministerial face.

Mr Modi is for the first time forced to rely on his alliance partners after his party fell way short of majority mark of 272 seats, winning 240 seats, while NDA crossed the mark getting a total of 292 seats.