Congress may explore alliances with Chandrababu Naidu, Nitish Kumar
Should Kumar and Naidu switch allegiance, the INDIA bloc's seat count could rise from 232 to 260, while the NDA's numbers would drop, leaving both just 12 seats short of a majority
The Congress will speak to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Telugu Desam Party chief Chandrababu Naidu, both former allies, to discuss potential government formation, according to senior party leaders.
This strategic move comes in light of a narrow gap between the projected seat numbers of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the INDIA bloc, reports NDTV.
Uddhav Thackeray, an ally within the INDIA bloc, publicly confirmed that Congress intends to approach both leaders. Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid maintained a more cautious stance and said, "We will work towards getting all alliance partners and others to form a stable government."
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Official results show Modi's BJP-led NDA alliance won 296 seats, Congress-led INDIA bloc 231 seats.
A party or coalition needs 272 seats to cross the majority mark in the 543-member Lok Sabha, the lower house of India's parliament.
Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United and Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party can together add 28 seats to the tally.
Should Kumar and Naidu switch allegiance, the INDIA bloc's seat count could rise from 232 to 260, while the NDA's numbers would drop, leaving both just 12 seats short of a majority.
Independent candidates are expected to play a crucial role in bridging this gap.
The INDIA bloc is scheduled to meet tomorrow to deliberate on these developments and related issues.
According to the convention, the President invites the party or group that crosses the majority mark to form the government.
However, both Kumar and Naidu have histories of shifting alliances.
Kumar has acquired something of a reputation for his frequent change of sides -- five times over the last decade, the last one, from the INDIA alliance to the BJP, in February.
Naidu, who originally aligned with the NDA, exited the alliance before the 2019 election, only to rejoin ahead of the current one.
Congress sources told NDTV that the mandate is against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. "We will look at the possibility of forming government with like-minded parties and others like Nitish Kumar and the TDP," a leader said.
The Congress has also demanded that PM Modi step down from the top post, insisting that the performance of the BJP and its allies – way below the 370-seat "400-paar" targets -- is a major loss of face for him.
The demand has been echoed by Trinamool Congress chief and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
"The Prime Minister of the country is chosen not only by votes but also by his personal dignity and self-respect. Today Narendra Modi has not only lost a huge number of votes but his personal image has also been deeply hurt. To run a country, not only seats but reputation is also required," senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh posted on X, formerly Twitter.
