(Image source from: x.com/BJP4India)

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance will meet President Draupadi Murmu later today to stake its claim to form a new government after a meeting at Narendra Modi's residence to review the election results, sources said. The meeting with Murmu is expected to be attended by senior party leaders and senior figures from the NDA, in a show of strength that has gained prominence with the BJP's landslide victory. This of course also includes Mr. Modi, who is completing his historic third term as Prime Minister, and his right-hand man, Home Minister and party leader Amit Shah. This also includes TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu and Janata Dal's Nitish Kumar. Naidu's TDP won 16 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh (along with the assembly election to return the chief ministership), Nitish Kumar's JDU won 12 seats in Bihar. India's 28 MPs are broadly supportive of Mr Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party as they seek a third consecutive term in a coalition government or risk making concessions to the Congress-led Indian bloc.

Mr. Modi and the BJP are well aware of their importance to the NDA. In his victory speech on Tuesday evening, he made special mention of the TDP and JDU leaders. And despite rumors that the two men could be poached by the Congress-led India bloc (which the Bihar leaders helped form), Mr Modi's view is very strong. Sources said Naidu and Nitish Kumar, experienced leaders well versed in the art of coalition politics, could be sued by the Congress for compromising their case. Neither side has revealed its cards yet, but sources say a number of "demands" are being considered, including special status for states and Cabinet appointments. On Tuesday, the India bloc defied election polls and posed a serious challenge to the BJP in the general elections. This is the first time since the Modi wave brought the BJP to power in 2014. The opposition coalition ended with 232 seats, 40 seats short of 272 seats. Majority signs Sources say Indian leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharg, are hesitant to call Naidu or Nitish Kumar, but the intention is there. Majlis achieved its best performance since 2009 by winning 99 seats. In 2014, it won only 44 seats and in 2019, it won only 52 seats (and Rahul Gandhi resigned as party president).

Meanwhile, Mr Modi met Ms Murmu hours before he resigned ahead of the government's June 16 dissolution. Modi has been asked to continue the work until the new government is appointed. This morning he presided over the last cabinet meeting of his second term and downplayed the embarrassment over his party's performance; "Success and failure are part of politics.""We've done a good job over the last 10 years, and we'll continue to do so." Addressing a crowd at the party headquarters in Delhi late on Tuesday, Mr Modi said he would "have to rely on the NDA" for a third term. "I welcome this love from the people and promise to continue the good work of the past decade".