Election Results Live | Modi 3.0 Set To Take Shape; NDA MPs To Meet Today; Swearing-In Moved To June 9

Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu, who emerged as a key player in the national politics, on Thursday left on a three-day visit to New Delhi. He is to 'attend' the NDA meeting to be held on Friday and will remain in the national capital to attend the June 9 swearing-in of Narendra Modi. The TDP supremo has asked all his party newly elected MPs to attend Friday's NDA meeting, as per sources. The NDA alliance, consisting of BJP, TDP and Janasena, has won 21 out of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh in the just concluded elections.

CISF woman constable Kulwinder Kaur, who allegedly slapped newly-elected BJP MP Kangana Ranaut at Chandigarh airport, has been suspended and an enquiry has been launched into the charges levelled against her by the actor-turned-politician. The suspended constable was stated to be angry over certain remarks purportedly made by Kangana about the farmers protests in 2020. A video emerged showing Kulwinder Kaur saying that her mother also took part in the farmers' protests on which Kangana purportedly said at that time that women in those protests in Delhi border were paid ₹100 each.

Senior BJP leader Piyush Goyal on Thursday hit back at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for making allegations against interim Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah concerning stock market crash after the exit polls. The BJP leader said that Rahul Gandhi was apparently not able to accept the latest electoral loss. Addressing a press conference, Piyush Goyal accused the Congress leader of conspiring to mislead the country's investors by alleging involvement of PM Modi and Amit Shah in the "biggest stock market scam". He further asserted that regardless of such allegations, Prime Minister Modi was striving to make India the third largest economy in his third term.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday said he spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and invited the latter to visit Ukraine at a convenient time. Zelenskyy said that he had discussed with PM Modi the upcoming peace summit in Switzerland concerning the Russia-Ukrainian war and hoped for India's participation at the "highest level" at the conference. In a post on X, Zelenskyy said, "I spoke with Prime Minister of India@NarendraModi to congratulate him on his election victory. I wished him a speedy formation of the government and continued productive work for the benefit of the Indian people. We discussed the upcoming Global Peace Summit. We rely on India's participation at the highest level. I also invited Prime Minister Modi to visit Ukraine at a convenient time."

Top leaders of India's neighbouring countries including the Maldives are likely to attend the June 9 swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. These leaders included Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth and President of Seychelles Wavel Ramkalawan. This guest list of foreign leaders resulted from India's "Neighbourhood First Policy". The likelihood of Muizzu attending PM Modi's swearing-in assumes significance in view of the strained relations between India and Maldives because of Muizzu's pro-China leanings. (with PTI inputs)

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday demanded a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) into the involvement of Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah in the recent 'misleading exit polls' which predicted a sweeping victory for the BJP thereby triggering the 'biggest stock market scam'. Rahul Gandhi asked why PM had given an investment advice to the people of the country after the exit polls. The Congress leader said that “completely fictitious exit polls” were released on the basis of which retail investors had lost over RS 30 lakh crore while a select few made thousands of crores.

BJP Member of Parliament and Bollywood Actress Kangana Ranaut was allegedly slapped by a CISF personnel at Chandigarh airport on Thursday. Ranaut was on her way to Delhi to attend the meeting of newly elected MPs in Parliament tomorrow. The reason of the altercation was not immediately known. In the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, Kangana Ranaut won from Mandi Lok Sabha seat, beating Congress Vikramaditya Singh by over 74000 votes.

• Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma blamed Muslim voters for BJP losing key seats to Congress in the northeastern state. "Muslim voters had voted in favour of Congress in Assam in this election. Religion was a consideration in this election, not development," he said.
• Congress leader Sachin Pilot the 2024 mandate is against the policies of BJP government and against the type of politics they have introduced in the last 10 years.
• All TDP MPs to reach Delhi tonight to attend NDA Parliamentary Meeting tomorrow.
• Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu sign the Due Constitution Notification to be handed over to President Droupadi Murmui.
• Assam recorded the highest voter turnout of 81.56 percent among states. Bihar recorded the lowest voter turnout out of 56.19 percent among states: ECI
• NCP-SCP leader Jayant Patil says, "Exit polls have no point it is wrong data. Exit polls only to manipulate the stock market.

The 2024 Lok Sabha Elections recorded an overall turnout of 65.79 percent. The elections were conducted in seven phases, from April 19 to June 1. Votes were cast at more than a million polling stations. Each of the seven voting phases lasted a single day with several constituencies across multiple states voting that day. The staggered polling allowed the government to transport election officials and voting machines and deploy tens of thousands of troops to prevent violence. Candidates crisscrossed the country, poll workers hiked to remote villages, and voters lined up for hours in sweltering heat.

Maharashtra NCP President and MP Sunil Tatkare denies reports that the party MLAs are in touch with the Sharad Pawar faction. "Rumours are being spread deliberately that our MLAs are in touch with Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP...All our MLAs are with us and we are one team. Such rumours and fake videos were being circulated even during elections," he said.

LJP leader Chirag Paswan Thursday said the NDA allies have accepted Narendra Modi's leadership, without any conditions. "My PM is going to be the Prime Minister of the country for the third time. All NDA leaders had a meeting yesterday...Nobody can deny that this victory of the NDA is the victory of the leadership of the Prime Minister. NDA received this thumping majority only due to him. Sometimes, we set such a huge target for ourselves that if there is even a little lapse, questions start being raised. In reality, it is no ordinary thing that the NDA has received the mandate for the third time...In yesterday's meeting, all NDA allies accepted his leadership once again without any conditions," Chirag Paswan said while speaking to ANI.

The 18th Lok Sabha will see about 280 MPs who have been elected for the first time, an increase from the 2019 elections when 267 members were first-time MPs. A total of 263 newly elected MPs have previously served as members of Lok Sabha. Additionally, 16 MPs have been members of Rajya Sabha, and one MP has served seven terms in Lok Sabha, according to think-tank PRS Legislative Research.

Of the re-elected MPs, eight changed their constituency, and one was re-elected from two constituencies. Nine re-elected MPs represented a different party in the 17th Lok Sabha, while eight others represented a party that split from their earlier party. Out of the 53 ministers who contested, 35 have won. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is the largest party in the new Lok Sabha with 240 seats. The next largest party is the Indian National Congress (INC) with 99 seats, followed by the Samajwadi Party with 37 seats.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to take oath at the swearing-in ceremony at the Rastrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Sunday, June 9. Sources said that the event is likely to commence at 6 PM. Around 8,000 people from across sectors will attend the coveted ceremony. Earlier, the ceremony was slated to take place on June 8. World leaders including Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe, and Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal are set to attend the function.

Officially voicing its maiden demand after elections, JD(U), one of the NDA constituents, has sought reconsideration of Agniveer, the central government scheme for youth to get entry into the Indian army which has received a lot of criticism since it was implemented.

JD(U) spokesperson KC Tyagi, while speaking to the media after the party meeting in the national capital on Thursday, said, "A section of voters has been upset over the Agniveer scheme. Our party wants those shortcomings which have been questioned by the public to be discussed in detail and removed...On UCC, as the national president of the party, CM had written to the Law Commission chief. We are not against it but a solution should be found by talking to all stakeholders."

Interestingly, JD(U)'s stance over Agniveer is similar to Samajwadi Party whose chief Akhilesh Yadav who too on Thursday called for annulling the scheme. “I think Agniveer system should be scrapped immediately. Government should admit that it made a mistake, that it should not have introduced Agniveer system…," Yadav told media persons in the national capital.

Meanwhile, on caste-based census, JD(U) spokesperson KC Tyagi said, "No party in the country has said no to caste-based census. Bihar has shown the path. PM too didn't oppose it in all-party delegation. Caste-based census is the call of the hour. We will pursue it." He also says, "There is no pre-condition. There is unconditional support. But Bihar be given the special status is something which we have in our heart..."

Iqra Hasan, the Samajwadi Party's winning candidate from Kairana Lok Sabha, Thursday said young people like her want to enter politics and do good for the people. "Fake case was registered against my brother and mother and distanced them from politics, during that time I joined the politics...2-3 years I was on field...young people like me to enter into politics and bring some change from inside and this is the time for that...I have also struggled but I want to do something good for my people and constituency," she said.

Iqra is the daughter of former Samajwadi Party leader and MP late Munawwar Hasan and her brother Nahid Hasan, is a three-time MLA, having won the election in 2022 from the Kairana Assembly seat while contesting from jail.

• Trinamool Congress National General Secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee met Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Delhi, today.
• Uttar Pradesh CM and BJP leader Yogi Adityanath will arrive in Delhi today evening to attend the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting tomorrow. A meeting is expected to be held regarding UP Lok Sabha results before tomorrow's BJP parliamentary meeting.
• NDA MPs to have a meeting tomorrow morning at Parliament Central Hall.
• Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav says Agniveer system should be scrapped immediately and government should admit that it made a mistake.
• TDP National Spokesperson Prem Kumar Jain says, "Chandrababu Naidu extended his full support to the NDA yesterday...INDIA Alliance may say anything but we are with the NDA..."
• Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini takes oath as BJP MLA from Karnal.
• Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) calls a meeting of all MLAs of Delhi at the CM residence today at 5 pm. The meeting has been called over the Election results.

Rattled by his defeat in the Lok Sabha elections elections, five-time Congress MP and party's Bengal head Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury says he is not certain of what his political future would look like.

Chowdhury was stunned by Trinamul Congress’s star candidate and cricketer-turned-politician Yusuf Pathan who comprehensively defeated him by a margin of over 85,000 votes. Speaking to a Bengali TV channel at his Baharampur residence on Wednesday, Chowdhury said he was apprehending “hard times” for himself in the days ahead.

“In my endeavour to fight this government, I have neglected my sources of income. I call myself a BPL MP. I have no other skills apart from politics. So I will have difficulties for myself in the days ahead and I have no clue how to overcome them,” the 68-year-old leader said. Chowdhury confirmed he would be visiting the Capital soon to vacate his MP residence. “My daughter is a student and uses the place sometimes for her studies. I will have to find a new place there since I don’t have one,” he said. Read More...

On Samajwadi Party's victory and BJP's loss from Faizabad (Ayodhya), party chief Akhilesh Yadav says, "The truth is that the BJP would have lost even more seats in Uttar Pradesh. I thank the people of Ayodhya. You would have seen the pain of Ayodhya from time to time. They were not given adequate compensation for their land, injustice was done to them, their land was not acquired at par with the market price, you snatched their land forcibly by slapping false cases against them...you destroyed the poor for a sacred thing. That is why, I think people of Ayodhya and neighbouring areas voted against the BJP."

NCP Chief Ajit Pawar held a meeting with party leaders in Mumbai on Thursday following Lok Sabha election results. Maharashtra NCP President and MP Sunil Tatkare, State Ministers Dilip Walse Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal, Minister, Hasan Mushrif, and Aditi Tatkare and Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar and other leaders attended the meeting at the official residence of Ajit Pawar. NCP managed only 1 seat in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, while NCPSP won eight seats from the state.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal have confirmed they will be attending the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Both Hasina and her Nepal counterpart Dahal had previously extended their greetings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the performance of the NDA at the 18th Lok Sabha elections.

PM Modi had spoken over phone with Dahal also known as Prachanda. "An invitation was extended to Nepal PM by PM Modi during Wednesday's phone conversation," an official said on Thursday.

"During Wednesday evening telephonic conversation between two leaders, invitation was extended to Nepal PM for attendance in the swearing in ceremony. Nepal Prime Minister also confirmed the attendance. Formal announcement will be made soon," the senior official said.

M Nazrul Islam, the speechwriter for the Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina said, "Prime Minister Hasina is departing tomorrow from Dhaka to Delhi to participate in the oath-taking ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi after receiving an invitation from him." Sheikh Hasina will leave Dhaka on a special flight scheduled for the afternoon and will remain here in the national capital until the afternoon of June 9. (With ANI inputs)

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has called a meeting of all MLAs of Delhi at the CM residence today at 5 pm. The meeting has been called over the Election results. All senior leaders of the party likely to be present at the meeting. Pertinently, BJP won all 7 seats from the national capital but data shows that the INDIA bloc candidates got more votes than their BJP rivals in the assembly segments held by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and AAP ministers Gopal Rai and Imran Hussain. However, the nominees of the opposition alliance failed to fare better in those assembly segments held by other Delhi ministers including Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj. The BJP made a clean sweep for a straight third time winning all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, forcing the AAP-Congress alliance to draw a blank.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has arrived at the residence of BJP national president JP Nadda, as seen in a video posted by ANI on X. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is also present at the residence. The meeting is to devise formula for discussions with allies and Cabinet formation.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's exit has begun, the Congress has said, patting its own back for retaining three MPs in the north-eastern state despite a "manipulated delimitation" exercise in Assam.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that despite the chief minister's best efforts to suppress the Congress, it received 37.48 per cent of the votes polled in Assam, almost double its previous vote share and surpassed the BJP's 37.43 per cent vote share. "In spite of the manipulated delimitation exercise in Assam, the Indian National Congress retained three MP seats," Ramesh said.

Congress leader Pradyut Bordoloi's margin increased by nearly 2 lakh votes and despite the 25 public meetings held by the Assam chief minister to defeat Gaurav Gogoi, he won with an over 1 lakh margin, he said. "In spite of the BJP's best efforts to prop up Badruddin Ajmal, Rakibul Hussain swept the Dhubri Lok Sabha with a historic margin. AIUDF supremo and three-time MP Badruddin Ajmal was defeated there by a record margin of 10,12,476 votes by Congress MLA Rakibul Hussain.

"Time to go Mukhya Mantri! The countdown to Himanta Biswa Sarma’s exit has begun," Ramesh said. The Congress won three of the 14 seats in Assam with the BJP bagging nine, and regional parties winning two.

As Amritpal Singh and Sheikh Abdul Rashid currently lodged in prison on terror charges emerged winners on the respective seats they were contesting from in the Lok Sabha election 2024, it remains to be seen whether the duo will be allowed to take oath, and if so, will they be able to enter the parliament and represent their respective seats.

Constitution expert and former Lok Sabha secretary general PDT Achari as quoted by news agency PTI, emphasised the importance of following the constitutional provisions in such cases. Achari said that while being sworn in as a Member of Parliament is a constitutional right. But because they are currently in prison, Engineer Rashid and Singh must seek permission from authorities to be escorted to Parliament for the oath-taking ceremony, he said adding once they have taken the oath, they will have to return to prison. Read More...

Invitations have been sent to key world leaders to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is set to take oath for the third consecutive time Saturday, June 8. Around 75 world leaders have sent congratulatory messages to Prime Minister Modi for his electoral victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Among the notable leaders who have conveyed their wishes are UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, US President Joe Biden, European Council President Charles Michel, Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Singapore PM Lawrence Wong, Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', and Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu.

From the G20 nations, the leaders of Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, France, the US, the United Kingdom, and Russia have extended their congratulations. Some of the world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', and UK PM Rishi Sunak, called PM Modi to congratulate him personally.

Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu, who emerged as a key player in the national politics, on Thursday left on a three-day visit to New Delhi. He is to 'attend' the NDA meeting to be held on Friday and will remain in the national capital to attend the June 9 swearing-in of Narendra Modi. The TDP supremo has asked all his party newly elected MPs to attend Friday's NDA meeting, as per sources. The NDA alliance, consisting of BJP, TDP and Janasena, has won 21 out of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh in the just concluded elections.

CISF woman constable Kulwinder Kaur, who allegedly slapped newly-elected BJP MP Kangana Ranaut at Chandigarh airport, has been suspended and an enquiry has been launched into the charges levelled against her by the actor-turned-politician. The suspended constable was stated to be angry over certain remarks purportedly made by Kangana about the farmers protests in 2020. A video emerged showing Kulwinder Kaur saying that her mother also took part in the farmers' protests on which Kangana purportedly said at that time that women in those protests in Delhi border were paid ₹100 each.

Senior BJP leader Piyush Goyal on Thursday hit back at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for making allegations against interim Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah concerning stock market crash after the exit polls. The BJP leader said that Rahul Gandhi was apparently not able to accept the latest electoral loss. Addressing a press conference, Piyush Goyal accused the Congress leader of conspiring to mislead the country's investors by alleging involvement of PM Modi and Amit Shah in the "biggest stock market scam". He further asserted that regardless of such allegations, Prime Minister Modi was striving to make India the third largest economy in his third term.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday said he spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and invited the latter to visit Ukraine at a convenient time. Zelenskyy said that he had discussed with PM Modi the upcoming peace summit in Switzerland concerning the Russia-Ukrainian war and hoped for India's participation at the "highest level" at the conference. In a post on X, Zelenskyy said, "I spoke with Prime Minister of India@NarendraModi to congratulate him on his election victory. I wished him a speedy formation of the government and continued productive work for the benefit of the Indian people. We discussed the upcoming Global Peace Summit. We rely on India's participation at the highest level. I also invited Prime Minister Modi to visit Ukraine at a convenient time."

Top leaders of India's neighbouring countries including the Maldives are likely to attend the June 9 swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. These leaders included Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth and President of Seychelles Wavel Ramkalawan. This guest list of foreign leaders resulted from India's "Neighbourhood First Policy". The likelihood of Muizzu attending PM Modi's swearing-in assumes significance in view of the strained relations between India and Maldives because of Muizzu's pro-China leanings. (with PTI inputs)

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday demanded a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) into the involvement of Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah in the recent 'misleading exit polls' which predicted a sweeping victory for the BJP thereby triggering the 'biggest stock market scam'. Rahul Gandhi asked why PM had given an investment advice to the people of the country after the exit polls. The Congress leader said that “completely fictitious exit polls” were released on the basis of which retail investors had lost over RS 30 lakh crore while a select few made thousands of crores.

BJP Member of Parliament and Bollywood Actress Kangana Ranaut was allegedly slapped by a CISF personnel at Chandigarh airport on Thursday. Ranaut was on her way to Delhi to attend the meeting of newly elected MPs in Parliament tomorrow. The reason of the altercation was not immediately known. In the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, Kangana Ranaut won from Mandi Lok Sabha seat, beating Congress Vikramaditya Singh by over 74000 votes.

• Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma blamed Muslim voters for BJP losing key seats to Congress in the northeastern state. "Muslim voters had voted in favour of Congress in Assam in this election. Religion was a consideration in this election, not development," he said.
• Congress leader Sachin Pilot the 2024 mandate is against the policies of BJP government and against the type of politics they have introduced in the last 10 years.
• All TDP MPs to reach Delhi tonight to attend NDA Parliamentary Meeting tomorrow.
• Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu sign the Due Constitution Notification to be handed over to President Droupadi Murmui.
• Assam recorded the highest voter turnout of 81.56 percent among states. Bihar recorded the lowest voter turnout out of 56.19 percent among states: ECI
• NCP-SCP leader Jayant Patil says, "Exit polls have no point it is wrong data. Exit polls only to manipulate the stock market.

The 2024 Lok Sabha Elections recorded an overall turnout of 65.79 percent. The elections were conducted in seven phases, from April 19 to June 1. Votes were cast at more than a million polling stations. Each of the seven voting phases lasted a single day with several constituencies across multiple states voting that day. The staggered polling allowed the government to transport election officials and voting machines and deploy tens of thousands of troops to prevent violence. Candidates crisscrossed the country, poll workers hiked to remote villages, and voters lined up for hours in sweltering heat.

Maharashtra NCP President and MP Sunil Tatkare denies reports that the party MLAs are in touch with the Sharad Pawar faction. "Rumours are being spread deliberately that our MLAs are in touch with Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP...All our MLAs are with us and we are one team. Such rumours and fake videos were being circulated even during elections," he said.

LJP leader Chirag Paswan Thursday said the NDA allies have accepted Narendra Modi's leadership, without any conditions. "My PM is going to be the Prime Minister of the country for the third time. All NDA leaders had a meeting yesterday...Nobody can deny that this victory of the NDA is the victory of the leadership of the Prime Minister. NDA received this thumping majority only due to him. Sometimes, we set such a huge target for ourselves that if there is even a little lapse, questions start being raised. In reality, it is no ordinary thing that the NDA has received the mandate for the third time...In yesterday's meeting, all NDA allies accepted his leadership once again without any conditions," Chirag Paswan said while speaking to ANI.

The 18th Lok Sabha will see about 280 MPs who have been elected for the first time, an increase from the 2019 elections when 267 members were first-time MPs. A total of 263 newly elected MPs have previously served as members of Lok Sabha. Additionally, 16 MPs have been members of Rajya Sabha, and one MP has served seven terms in Lok Sabha, according to think-tank PRS Legislative Research.

Of the re-elected MPs, eight changed their constituency, and one was re-elected from two constituencies. Nine re-elected MPs represented a different party in the 17th Lok Sabha, while eight others represented a party that split from their earlier party. Out of the 53 ministers who contested, 35 have won. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is the largest party in the new Lok Sabha with 240 seats. The next largest party is the Indian National Congress (INC) with 99 seats, followed by the Samajwadi Party with 37 seats.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to take oath at the swearing-in ceremony at the Rastrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Sunday, June 9. Sources said that the event is likely to commence at 6 PM. Around 8,000 people from across sectors will attend the coveted ceremony. Earlier, the ceremony was slated to take place on June 8. World leaders including Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe, and Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal are set to attend the function.

Officially voicing its maiden demand after elections, JD(U), one of the NDA constituents, has sought reconsideration of Agniveer, the central government scheme for youth to get entry into the Indian army which has received a lot of criticism since it was implemented.

JD(U) spokesperson KC Tyagi, while speaking to the media after the party meeting in the national capital on Thursday, said, "A section of voters has been upset over the Agniveer scheme. Our party wants those shortcomings which have been questioned by the public to be discussed in detail and removed...On UCC, as the national president of the party, CM had written to the Law Commission chief. We are not against it but a solution should be found by talking to all stakeholders."

Interestingly, JD(U)'s stance over Agniveer is similar to Samajwadi Party whose chief Akhilesh Yadav who too on Thursday called for annulling the scheme. “I think Agniveer system should be scrapped immediately. Government should admit that it made a mistake, that it should not have introduced Agniveer system…," Yadav told media persons in the national capital.

Meanwhile, on caste-based census, JD(U) spokesperson KC Tyagi said, "No party in the country has said no to caste-based census. Bihar has shown the path. PM too didn't oppose it in all-party delegation. Caste-based census is the call of the hour. We will pursue it." He also says, "There is no pre-condition. There is unconditional support. But Bihar be given the special status is something which we have in our heart..."

Iqra Hasan, the Samajwadi Party's winning candidate from Kairana Lok Sabha, Thursday said young people like her want to enter politics and do good for the people. "Fake case was registered against my brother and mother and distanced them from politics, during that time I joined the politics...2-3 years I was on field...young people like me to enter into politics and bring some change from inside and this is the time for that...I have also struggled but I want to do something good for my people and constituency," she said.

Iqra is the daughter of former Samajwadi Party leader and MP late Munawwar Hasan and her brother Nahid Hasan, is a three-time MLA, having won the election in 2022 from the Kairana Assembly seat while contesting from jail.

• Trinamool Congress National General Secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee met Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Delhi, today.
• Uttar Pradesh CM and BJP leader Yogi Adityanath will arrive in Delhi today evening to attend the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting tomorrow. A meeting is expected to be held regarding UP Lok Sabha results before tomorrow's BJP parliamentary meeting.
• NDA MPs to have a meeting tomorrow morning at Parliament Central Hall.
• Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav says Agniveer system should be scrapped immediately and government should admit that it made a mistake.
• TDP National Spokesperson Prem Kumar Jain says, "Chandrababu Naidu extended his full support to the NDA yesterday...INDIA Alliance may say anything but we are with the NDA..."
• Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini takes oath as BJP MLA from Karnal.
• Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) calls a meeting of all MLAs of Delhi at the CM residence today at 5 pm. The meeting has been called over the Election results.

Rattled by his defeat in the Lok Sabha elections elections, five-time Congress MP and party's Bengal head Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury says he is not certain of what his political future would look like.

Chowdhury was stunned by Trinamul Congress’s star candidate and cricketer-turned-politician Yusuf Pathan who comprehensively defeated him by a margin of over 85,000 votes. Speaking to a Bengali TV channel at his Baharampur residence on Wednesday, Chowdhury said he was apprehending “hard times” for himself in the days ahead.

“In my endeavour to fight this government, I have neglected my sources of income. I call myself a BPL MP. I have no other skills apart from politics. So I will have difficulties for myself in the days ahead and I have no clue how to overcome them,” the 68-year-old leader said. Chowdhury confirmed he would be visiting the Capital soon to vacate his MP residence. “My daughter is a student and uses the place sometimes for her studies. I will have to find a new place there since I don’t have one,” he said. Read More...

On Samajwadi Party's victory and BJP's loss from Faizabad (Ayodhya), party chief Akhilesh Yadav says, "The truth is that the BJP would have lost even more seats in Uttar Pradesh. I thank the people of Ayodhya. You would have seen the pain of Ayodhya from time to time. They were not given adequate compensation for their land, injustice was done to them, their land was not acquired at par with the market price, you snatched their land forcibly by slapping false cases against them...you destroyed the poor for a sacred thing. That is why, I think people of Ayodhya and neighbouring areas voted against the BJP."

NCP Chief Ajit Pawar held a meeting with party leaders in Mumbai on Thursday following Lok Sabha election results. Maharashtra NCP President and MP Sunil Tatkare, State Ministers Dilip Walse Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal, Minister, Hasan Mushrif, and Aditi Tatkare and Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar and other leaders attended the meeting at the official residence of Ajit Pawar. NCP managed only 1 seat in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, while NCPSP won eight seats from the state.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal have confirmed they will be attending the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Both Hasina and her Nepal counterpart Dahal had previously extended their greetings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the performance of the NDA at the 18th Lok Sabha elections.

PM Modi had spoken over phone with Dahal also known as Prachanda. "An invitation was extended to Nepal PM by PM Modi during Wednesday's phone conversation," an official said on Thursday.

"During Wednesday evening telephonic conversation between two leaders, invitation was extended to Nepal PM for attendance in the swearing in ceremony. Nepal Prime Minister also confirmed the attendance. Formal announcement will be made soon," the senior official said.

M Nazrul Islam, the speechwriter for the Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina said, "Prime Minister Hasina is departing tomorrow from Dhaka to Delhi to participate in the oath-taking ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi after receiving an invitation from him." Sheikh Hasina will leave Dhaka on a special flight scheduled for the afternoon and will remain here in the national capital until the afternoon of June 9. (With ANI inputs)

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has called a meeting of all MLAs of Delhi at the CM residence today at 5 pm. The meeting has been called over the Election results. All senior leaders of the party likely to be present at the meeting. Pertinently, BJP won all 7 seats from the national capital but data shows that the INDIA bloc candidates got more votes than their BJP rivals in the assembly segments held by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and AAP ministers Gopal Rai and Imran Hussain. However, the nominees of the opposition alliance failed to fare better in those assembly segments held by other Delhi ministers including Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj. The BJP made a clean sweep for a straight third time winning all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, forcing the AAP-Congress alliance to draw a blank.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has arrived at the residence of BJP national president JP Nadda, as seen in a video posted by ANI on X. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is also present at the residence. The meeting is to devise formula for discussions with allies and Cabinet formation.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's exit has begun, the Congress has said, patting its own back for retaining three MPs in the north-eastern state despite a "manipulated delimitation" exercise in Assam.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that despite the chief minister's best efforts to suppress the Congress, it received 37.48 per cent of the votes polled in Assam, almost double its previous vote share and surpassed the BJP's 37.43 per cent vote share. "In spite of the manipulated delimitation exercise in Assam, the Indian National Congress retained three MP seats," Ramesh said.

Congress leader Pradyut Bordoloi's margin increased by nearly 2 lakh votes and despite the 25 public meetings held by the Assam chief minister to defeat Gaurav Gogoi, he won with an over 1 lakh margin, he said. "In spite of the BJP's best efforts to prop up Badruddin Ajmal, Rakibul Hussain swept the Dhubri Lok Sabha with a historic margin. AIUDF supremo and three-time MP Badruddin Ajmal was defeated there by a record margin of 10,12,476 votes by Congress MLA Rakibul Hussain.

"Time to go Mukhya Mantri! The countdown to Himanta Biswa Sarma’s exit has begun," Ramesh said. The Congress won three of the 14 seats in Assam with the BJP bagging nine, and regional parties winning two.

As Amritpal Singh and Sheikh Abdul Rashid currently lodged in prison on terror charges emerged winners on the respective seats they were contesting from in the Lok Sabha election 2024, it remains to be seen whether the duo will be allowed to take oath, and if so, will they be able to enter the parliament and represent their respective seats.

Constitution expert and former Lok Sabha secretary general PDT Achari as quoted by news agency PTI, emphasised the importance of following the constitutional provisions in such cases. Achari said that while being sworn in as a Member of Parliament is a constitutional right. But because they are currently in prison, Engineer Rashid and Singh must seek permission from authorities to be escorted to Parliament for the oath-taking ceremony, he said adding once they have taken the oath, they will have to return to prison. Read More...

Invitations have been sent to key world leaders to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is set to take oath for the third consecutive time Saturday, June 8. Around 75 world leaders have sent congratulatory messages to Prime Minister Modi for his electoral victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Among the notable leaders who have conveyed their wishes are UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, US President Joe Biden, European Council President Charles Michel, Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Singapore PM Lawrence Wong, Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', and Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu.

From the G20 nations, the leaders of Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, France, the US, the United Kingdom, and Russia have extended their congratulations. Some of the world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', and UK PM Rishi Sunak, called PM Modi to congratulate him personally.