"If he did not win on his own, it's not his victory," he said (File)
Aam Aadmi Party leader Somnath Bharti, who had earlier vowed to shave his head if Narendra Modi becomes prime minister again, on Sunday refused to make good on his promise.
Mr Bharti said Mr Modi's third term was not solely his own but rather a result of consolidated efforts of allies part of the NDA.
"I stated that I would shave my head if he were elected for a third term. However, he has not won on his own, he has won the election with the support of his alliance," he told PTI on phone.
"I stand by my words. If he did not win on his own, it's not his victory. So, as I said, if he has not won independently, I will not shave my head," he said.
Mr Bharti had ahead of the results announced on social media platform X, "I will shave off my head if Mr. Modi becomes PM for the third time." Consequent to the third term of the Modi government, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor in a post on X asked Bharti to shave his head immediately.
"We know Aam Aadmi Party leaders have no respect for their words, but this time people want Somnath Bharti to either shave his head or quit public life," Mr Kapoor said.
Narendra Modi was sworn in as prime minister on Sunday for a third term, matching Jawaharlal Nehru's record.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)