Prime Minister designate Narendra Modi will be swearing-in as the Prime Minister of India for the third consecutive term today at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. This will make him the first PM since Jawaharlal Nehru to form a government at the Centre for the third time in a row.
Underlining the achievement made by the leader of NDA, Modi, BJP Vice Presiddent Jagdeep Dhankar had stated on Friday that it is for the "first time in the last six decades that a prime minister has returned to power for a third consecutive term".
"It is for the first time since 1962 that a prime minister has got a third term," he added.
Jawaharlal Nehru's 3 Historic Electoral Wins
Jawharlal Nehru contested the first general elections in India after independence, and became the first ever Prime Minister of the country in 1952. At that time, the elections were held between 25 October 1951 and 21 February 1952.
Nehru, representing the Indian National Congress, won 364 out of the 499 seats, and a vote share of 44.99 percent. The majority mark in the first polls was 245.
Bharatiya Jana Sangh, which was dissolved in 1980 to form the Bharatiya Janata Party, won merely three seats that time. The only opposition that INC had was the Communist Party of India, which finished second with 16 seats.
Thereafter, the next general elections were held in 1957 for 505 seats in the Lok Sabha. The majority mark had increased to 248 in the second elections.
Securing another landslide victory, Jawaharlal Nehru became the PM of India for the second time, bagging 371 seats and a 47.78 percent vote share, which showcased his dominance in the Indian politics.
CPI ended becoming the runner-up again with 27 seats, an increase of 11 seats from the previous election's tally. Bhraratiya Jana Sangha, however, won merely four seats.
In his third consecutive election, Jawharlal Nehru, contested the Lok Sabha polls in 1962, held across 508 seats, and won 361 seats.
This led Jawaharlal Nehru to become the Prime Minister of India for the third time in a row, with a vote share of 44.72 percent.
In the 1962 elections, CPI won 29 seats in the 1962 polls, and the Bhartiya Jana Sangha won 10 seats.
Jawaharlal Nehru served as the Prime Minister of India from the time India gained independence till May 27, 1964, the day he died of heart attack.
A Walk-Through Narendra Modi's 3 Electoral Wins
While Narendra Modi could not lead his party, the BJP, to a clear majority for the third time in the 2024 general elections, he is retaining the top seat in India for the third consecutive term.
Modi's tenure as the Prime Minister of India began with his landslide victory in the 2014 general elections, when he secured 282 seats out of 545 and a 31 percent vote share.
The INC, who had been in power till then, faced a shocking defeat, securing just 44 seats and 19.31 percent vote share.
Thereafter, in an even massive sweep, the Modi-led BJP attained majority in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, winning 303 seats. The INC, in a crushing defeat, and worst performance since its establishment, secured merely 52 seats.
In the 2019 polls, NDA secured 353 seats while UPA's total stood at 91.
The 2024 Lok Sabha elections seemed to be headed towards a predictable third win by the BJP. This time, the Congress united all the opposition parties against the ruling BJP, to form the I.N.D.I.A bloc.
Although the exit polls and poll pundits anticipated BJP's clear majority, the saffron party, though emerged as the winner, could not cross the 272 majority mark.
With a shocking dip in the vote share and seat count, the BJP bagged 240 seats, while the opposition's I.N.D.I.A bloc won 234 seats. The Congress, which saw a revival of sorts with 99 seats, almost ended up doubling its 52-seat mark it secured in the 2019 polls.
Despite this, Narendra Modi is poised to form the government for the third time today in coalition with his allies TDP and JD (U) and 293 seats in hand.
All eyes are now set on his oath-taking ceremony that will be held today at 7:15 PM at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
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