Sharad Pawar, the NCP-SCP chief, and party MP Supriya Sule have arrived in Delhi for the INDIA bloc meeting scheduled for later today. The NCP-SCP won 8 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, and the 83-year-old Pawar is expected to play a crucial role in determining the opposition alliance's future actions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to form the government for a third consecutive term, with the BJP-led NDA securing a majority in the Lok Sabha. Despite this, the BJP faced significant losses in three Hindi heartland states.
The BJP, whose candidates campaigned under Modi's name, won 240 seats, falling short of the 272 majority mark. This is a decline from the 303 and 282 seats won in 2019 and 2014, respectively, necessitating the support of allies within the National Democratic Alliance for government formation. On Tuesday afternoon, as the election results became clear, Pawar remarked that the outcomes indicated a favorable situation for political change in the country. He emphasized that the future course of action would be decided through unanimous consultations with all allies. His party, the NCP, contested 10 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, winning eight. Pawar noted that the opposition bloc was unlikely to form the central government. When asked about the potential next prime minister, he stated, "We have not given it a thought." He added that a decision on the future course of action would be made unanimously. He also highlighted the successful performance of his party and the Shiv Sena in the Lok Sabha elections.
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Encouraged by the INDIA bloc's performance, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray suggested staking a claim to form the next government at the Centre. He announced that opposition alliance leaders would meet on Wednesday in New Delhi to discuss the prime ministerial candidate.