Why has PM Modi resigned? How does India form its government?

The 2024 Lok Sabha elections are done and dusted. But as they say, ‘picture abhi baaki hai.’ With the election results being closer than expected, attention has shifted to government formation. And it seems the BJP-led NDA is wasting no time.

On Wednesday (5 June), allies of the BJP reached the Capital for a meeting following which several news reports citing sources said that the oath taking ceremony of the NDA Sarkar would most likely be on 8 June, Saturday. In fact, PM Modi reached Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday and submitted his resignation along with the Union Council of Ministers to President Droupadi Murmu.

But with PM Modi winning a third term, why has he submitted his resignation? What happens after the results are declared? We get you the step-by-step guide to how a government is formed.

More from Explainers

How ChatGPT is becoming everyone’s BFF and why that’s dangerous This Week in Explainers: How recovering from Gen-Z protests is a Himalayan task for Nepal

What happens immediately after the results?

After the Election Commission tallies the votes, it hands out a certificate to each winning candidate. The candidate then signs an acknowledgement of receipt for the certificate, which will then be promptly dispatched by registered post to the Secretary General of the Lok Sabha, in adherence to the Election Commission’s guidelines.

This certificate, formally known as Form 22, serves as a document for verifying the identity of the candidate when they proceed to the Lok Sabha for the induction ceremony. It is following this that the Election Commission furnishes a complete roster of elected MPs to the President, initiating the formation of the new Lok Sabha. In 2019, this complete list of MPs had been handed over to then President Ram Nath Kovind just two days after the results were declared — on 25 May.

Impact Shorts

More Shorts

Ghaziabad woman dead, pilgrims attacked in bus… How Nepal’s Gen-Z protests turned into a living hell for Indian tourists

Were bodyguards involved in Charlie Kirk’s shooting? The many conspiracies surrounding the killing

And it was on this very day that President Kovind invited the NDA to form the government and the swearing-in ceremony then took place on 30 May.

How is the government formed then?

As per laws, the President of India invites the leading party or bloc, depending on the numbers, to form the next government. If a single party or a coalition of parties can stitch together the magic number of 272, they can stake claim to form the government. The President invites the leader of the single largest party or the majority alliance to form the government.

If no party or alliance can attain majority in the Lok Sabha, it is known as a hung parliament. In such a situation, the President invites the leader of the single largest party, giving him or her 10 days to show an absolute majority. If the party is unable to show majority in the prescribed time period, the president dissolves the parliament and calls for a re-election.

In the current scenario, the BJP has acquired 240 seats, short of the majority mark of 272 seats. However, along with its allies, namely the TDP and JD(U), the NDA has attained 292 seats. As leader of the NDA, Narendra Modi will be invited by the President to form the next government.

However, before staking claim to form the government, the old government has to resign. Hence, PM Modi and his ministers have tendered their resignation, which has, in turn, been accepted by President Murmu.

What comes next?

It has been reported that following his resignation, PM Modi is likely to take the oath of office for a third term on Saturday, 8 June. More importantly, by doing so, he will become the first (and only) three-term leader of the country since Congress stalwart Jawaharlal Nehru. He had earlier called calling the poll results a “victory of the world’s largest democracy”.

With inputs from agencies