Key members of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance today backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a third consecutive term. TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and JDU's Nitish Kumar publicly accepted the proposal to elect Mr Modi as the alliance's prime ministerial candidate. The NDA clinched 293 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha, marking a significant victory. Unlike the BJP's dominance in the last two terms, the party secured only 240 seats, falling short of the 272 needed for a majority government.
Crucial to the BJP's path to majority are four allies: Chandrababu Naidu's TDP with 16 seats, Nitish Kumar's JDU with 12, Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena with 7, and Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas with 5.