Lok Sabha election results 2019 updates: Narendra Modi says no stone will be left unturned to fulfill aspirations of people

PM meets president

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday and staked his claim to form the new government.

NDA delegation meets president

PM’s swearing-in likely on 30 May

According to several media reports, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to be sworn in on 30 May.

CWC rejects Rahul Gandhi’s offer to resign as party chief

A crucial meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Saturday unanimously rejected Rahul Gandhi’s offer to resign as party president after the Lok Sabha poll debacle and authorised him to overhaul and restructure the party at all levels. The meeting deliberated on the reasons behind the Congress’ defeat in the elections for four long hours with various leaders urging Rahul to continue to provide leadership to the party.

Maithripala Sirisena to attend Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony: Reports

Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena will attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony scheduled to be held in New Delhi on 30 May, according to several media reports.

Mamata Banerjee offers to quit as CM

Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee Saturday offered to quit as chief minister of West Bengal following her party’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls, but the TMC rejected it.  

Kamal Nath offers to resign as MPCC president

PM set to meet President

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to meet President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday evening to stake a claim to form the new government. The NDA returned to power with a massive majority in the Lok Sabha elections with the BJP alone bagging 303 of total 542 seats contested. Elections were held in 542 of the 543 seats  

Eyes of world on India, says PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the 21st Century belongs to Asia, but lawmakers must make 21st Century about India. “The world expects a lot from India, not just in terms of diplomacy. Democracies of this world are looking at us. We as the representatives of India must deliver,” said Modi.

Think of Kashmir and Kerala, PM tells lawmakers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the NDA meet in New Delhi, urged lawmakers to think of both Kashmir and Kerala when making decisions for the benefit of the country.

Must gain trust of minorities, says PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said minorities in India have been kept in a sense of false fear and turned into a vote bank. “They have not been allowed to grow. We have to promise to end this illusion of fear and gain their trust. We have to break that barrier,” Modi said.

PM tells netas to end VIP culture

Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned NDA netas not to be swayed by power and fame and exhorted them to remember their roots. He urged them to think beyond their constituences and to put an end to VIP culture.

Campaign was like a pilgrimage for me, says PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that during his campaign, he felt on many ocassions that neither he or the BJP were fighting elections. “It felt like it was being fought by the people. When journalists asked me then why am I campaigning, I told them that I was just going around thanking them. 2019 elections was a pilgrimage for me,” Modi adds.

PM hails power of women voters

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered praise to the mothers and daughters of India for doing “wonderful work” in the elections. He added that this will be the first tine in Independent India that such a large number of women MPs are sitting in Parliment.

NDA moving forward on two tracks, says PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi says “NDA is moving forward on two tracks. One on regional aspirations and the second on national ambitions. But NDA also has two names: energy and synergy”.

Modi says ‘we are here for those whose trust we are yet to win’

The prime minister said, “We are here for those who trusted us today. We are here for those too whose trust we are yet to win.”

Modi takes note of higher turnout of women voters

Modi emphasised that women voted in equal numbers to men during the recently-concluded election. “In the next election, women will surge ahead of men,” he said.

PM calls on public representatives to ‘win hearts’

The prime minister further said, “I appeal to the public representatives to take note, that they should not consider anyone as an outsider. We should attempt to win hearts.”

Modi says pro-incumbency wave was created through trust

Speaking about the results of the election, Modi said, “When there is a feeling of trust, a pro-incumbency wave is created. This election was characterised by a positive vote.”

‘I am one of you, and an equal to you’: Modi tells NDA leaders

Thanking NDA leaders for their support, Modi said, “Senior colleagues of the NDA have showered their blessings on me, and have chosen me as their leader. However, I consider this to be merely part of a system. I am one of you, and am an equal to you. We have to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with each other.”

‘2019 election broke barriers between people’: PM

“Normally, elections divide people and create enmity among them. But the 2019 Lok Sabha election has done the work of breaking barriers and bringing hearts together,” Modi said in his speech.

People accepted because of our dedication, says PM

“The people have accepted us because of our dedication to public service. If hankering for power reduces, people’s respect increases,” Modi said.

Mandate for NDA means huge responsibility: Modi

In his address, Modi said, “Such a big mandate also means a huge responsibility. We must move forward with a new energy. It is important to understand India’s democracy and the good sense of voters. Democracy in the country has matured and the voters do not accept hankering for power.”

Modi expresses gratitude to BJP, NDA leaders

The prime minister thanked leaders of the BJP and NDA for choosing him as the NDA parliamentary party leader. He also thanked the Election Commission and security forces for ensuring the smooth conduct of the Lok Sabha election.

Narendra Modi begins address

As Narendra Modi rose to address the gathering, the NDA leaders gave him a standing ovation. The prime minister bowed before the Constitution before beginning his speech.

NDA govt places counter-terrorism as top priority, says Amit Shah

Amit Shah also touched upon the issue of terrorism, and said, “Now, there is a government which has placed counter-terrorism as its top priority.”

‘With Modi as PM, poor people felt constitutional ideals were realised’: Amit Shah

Amit Shah said that the mandate shows the beauty of democracy. He said, “When Modi became the prime minister, the poor people felt that the ideals of the Constitution have been realised. The Modi govt in 2014 was an experiment, and now I can say without any hesitation, that the experiment has been successful.”

NDA has won historical mandate, says Amit Shah

Amit Shah has begun his address. The BJP chief has said that the NDA has won a historical mandate, and that it reflects unprecedented popular support.

NDA leaders greet Modi with bouquets

A number of BJP and NDA leaders greeted Modi with bouquets, including Amit Shah, LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Nitin Gadkari, Parkash Singh Badal and Uddhav Thackeray.

Modi chosen as leader of NDA, announces Amit Shah

A beaming Amit Shah announced that the NDA has unanimously chosen Narendra Modi as its leader. Chants of ‘Modi, Modi’ again resonated in the hall.

Parkash Singh Badal proposes Narendra Modi as leader of NDA

Parkash Singh Badal proposed the name of Modi as the leader of the NDA. Nitish Kumar, Uddhav Thackeray, Ram Vilas Paswan seconded the proposal, amid thumping of desks and cheering.

Amit Shah, other leaders propose Narendra Modi as leader of BJP parliamentary party

BJP chief Amit Shah proposed the name of Narendra Modi as leader of the BJP’s parliamentary party. Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari seconded Modi’s name. The alliance’s MPs responded with roaring applause and thumping of desks.

Narendra Modi arrives at meet

NDA leaders greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a standing ovation as he arrived at the Parliament House for the NDA’s parliamentary board meeting. Much like a poll rally, there were shouts of ‘Modi, Modi’ in the hall.

Mamata Banerjee says she expressed wish to step down as Bengal CM

After Rahul Gandhi, another key Opposition leader offered to step down from her post. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was quoted by ANI as saying, “I told at the beginning of the meeting that I don’t want to continue as the chief minister.”

Cartoonist Manjul’s take on the Congress Working Committee meet

NDA meet to choose Modi as leader of alliance

At the meet, which is expected to begin shortly, NDA MPs are expected to choose Narendra Modi as their leader.

Speaking to the media, BJP MP Giriraj Singh scoffed at reports of Rahul Gandhi’s offer to resign as Congress president said, “Can anyone in the party dare to ask for his resignation?…Till the Congress remains a dynastic party, it will remain in a bad state.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to arrive at the meet soon

Polls come and go but one can’t afford to lose conscience: Gautam Gambhir’s dig at Kejriwal

In a swipe at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over a “dirty pamphlet” against the AAP candidate from East Delhi, cricketer-turned-BJP MP Gautam Gambhir Saturday said elections come and go but one cannot afford to lose one’s conscience.

Gambhir, who defeated AAP’s Atishi Marlena from East Delhi, had been accused by AAP leaders of being involved in distribution of “obscene and derogatory” pamphlets against her during election campaign.

On Kejriwal, the BJP MP said, “I do not have any words for him if he can level such allegation just to win a seat. You can lose an election and move ahead but how can one face himself after losing his conscience.” 

Elections will come and go, the day “you lose your conscience you lose everything”, he added.

PTI

Amit Shah arrives for NDA parliamentary board meeting

BJP president Amit Shah has arrived for the NDA parliamentary board meeting. Immediately after arrival, he greeted senior party leaders of the BJP, as well as allies such as Nitish Kumar and Parkash Singh Badal.

Manoj Tiwari calls on Sheila Dikshit

Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari met Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit on Saturday, in a rare show of friendship between the two parties, and sought her blessings.

Congress press conference: CWC told Rahul he did a good job

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said at the party’s press conference after the CWC meeting that “everyone unanimously told him (Rahul Gandhi) that he did a good job” in the Lok Sabha election.

“No one has a doubt on his leadership but the situation was like that. If someone can lead the party in such situation, it’s only Rahul Gandhi, if anyone can lead opposition, it’s only Rahul Gandhi,” Azad added.

NDA parliamentary board meeting soon

Members of the NDA, including those from allies such as the JD(U) have begun arriving for the meet.

NDA leaders arrive for Parliamentary Party meeting

NDA leaders, including Kirron Kher, have begun arriving at the Central Hall of Parliament for the NDA’s meeting.

NDA leaders likely to call on President today around 7 pm

NDA leaders will call on President Ram Nath Kovind to stake their claim in forming the government at 7 pm today. Narendra Modi will then stake his claim to lead the government at 8 pm. The leaders are expected to pose for photographs in the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The prime minister will make a statement to the media as well, after staking the claim to form the government.

Congress press conference: AK Antony denies performance was ‘disastrous’ 

Addressing a press conference by Congress, AK Antony said he did not agree that the party’s performance was a disastrous one. “But we were not able to rise up to the expectations. The party will discuss this in details…Today we had only general discussions,” he said.

Randeep Surjewala addresses press conference after CWC meeting, says Rahul offered to resign

Addressing his second press conference since the loss of his party in the Lok Sabha election, Congress communications in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala said which Rahul Gandhi had in fact submitted his resignation at the party’s Congress Working Committee meeting, the panel unanimously rejected it, asking him to instead restructure the party as he sees fit. Surjewala and KC Venugopal also expressed gratitude to the voters who exercised their franchise and the party’s workers, candidates, allies and leaders for their role in the election.

CWC authorises Rahul to ‘restructure’ party

The Congress Working Committee, at its first meeting after its significant defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, has passed a resolution authorising Rahul Gandhi to restructure the party.

President thanks EC, voters for making elections a success

The President, upon being paid a visit by Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora who presented the winners’ list to him, appreciated the efforts of the Election Commission, its officers and staff, other government officials, police and security personnel. He said that all of them worked together tirelessly to uphold the sanctity of the people’s opinion and for free and fair elections. Kovind also thanked the crores of voters in the country for exercising their franchise.

In accordance with the terms of Section 73 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, a copy of the notification issued by the Election Commission of India was submitted to the President by the poll panel. This includes the names of the members who have been elected to the Lok Sabha as a result of the general election.

Ambika Soni says Rahul’s leadership not question in meeting at all

Congress leader Ambika Soni has said that Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s leadership was not questioned in the party’s CWC meeting at all, in spite of the speculation surrounding it.

All NDA allies to accompany Modi to Rashtrapati Bhavan

All NDA allies are expected to accompany Narendra Modi as he travels to the Rashtrapati Bhavan to stake his claim in forming the government. Among other NDA leaders to arrive were Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.

CWC meeting concludes, no media interaction by leaders

The Congress Working Committee meeting has concluded at the party’s headquarters. However, none of the leaders have spoken to reporters. Party leaders KC Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala will hold a media briefing at 3.30 pm, it is learnt.

Jagan to meet Andhra governor today

YSRCP chief Jaganmohan Reddy will meet Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governor ESL Narasimhan and Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao later today (Saturday). YSRCP won 151 out of 175 seats in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly Election.

BJP MP expects ‘more torture’ of party workers

BJP MP Roopa Ganguly said on Saturday that Bengal politics is filthy. “Wherever BJP has won there will be even more commotion and torture, after all they are the ruling party (TMC), police is with them and their cadres are experts in this,” she told ANI. A BJP worker was allegedly shot dead in Bengal’s Nadia two days after quitting the TMC.

Modi likely to stake claim to form govt at 8 pm, say reports

Narendra Modi is likely to stake claim to form the new government at around 8 pm today, say reports. This will happen after the NDA’s Parliamentary Party meeting. Moments after President Ram Nath Kovind accepted resignation of the Union Council of Ministers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday said while the sun has set on the term of the present government, the brightness of its work will continue to illuminate the lives of people.

BJP worker shot dead days after quitting TMC, say reports

A BJP worker was shot dead in Nadia district of West Bengal, an ABP report has said. The murder has come only days after the party worker quit TMC to join the saffron party. BJP has blamed Mamata Banerjee’s party for Santu Ghosh’s murder.

Why must Rahul resign, asks Sanjay Nirupam

Sanjay Nirupam, a key player in the Congress’s Mumbai branch, has spoken against the demand for Rahul Gandhi’s resignation as Congress chief. “There is a conspiracy to malign our leader and a well-designed plan to target him. It must be stopped and party must stand by him fully,” he tweeted.

Congress worker shaves head after losing bet with BJP worker

ANI has reported that a Congress worker, one BL Sen, in Madhya Pradesh, has shaved his head after losing a bet to a BJP worker in Rajgarh. The two had decided that they will shave their respective heads if prime ministers were elected of the opposing parties.

Leaders begin arriving for NDA Parliamentary Party meeting

Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami, deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam and Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat have arrived for the National Democratic Alliance’s Parliamentary Party meeting, to be held at around 5 pm today (Saturday, 25 May).

President dissolves 16th Lok Sabha

President Ram Nath Kovind, on the advice of the Union Cabinet, has signed the order on dissolving the 16th Lok Sabha.

CEC submits list of winners to President

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora has submitted the list of winners of the Lok Sabha Elections 2019 to President Ram Nath Kovind. 

Tejasvi Surya posts meme of Modi standing with Avengers

In a leap of expression, Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya has posted a meme in apparent retaliation to comedian Kunal Kamra, projecting Narendra Modi’s many qualities, all of which Surya claims, outshine the fantasy superheroes, Avengers. “Energy better than Hulk. Agility better than Captain America. Heavy lifting better than Thor. Vision better than Iron man. Tactics better than Black Widow,” the young BJP MP wrote.

Delhi’s new BJP MPs address press conference, Gambhir brings up AAP

At the press conference attended by all seven of Delhi’s newly elected MPs, East Delhi elect Gautam Gambhir brough up his controversial run in with AAP’s candidate Atishi on the campaign trail. AAP had accused Gambhir of circulating a wildly misogynistic pamphlet. “I don’t have words to describe these people, who can blame me this way for just one seat,” he said.

Faced with the charges, Gambhir had asked Arvind Kejriwal to prove they were true and offered to hang himself if they were. His present reaction to AAP may be considered a bit of a volte face, considering that he had exchanged pleasantries with Atishi right after being declared winner. 

Reports of Rahul tendering resignation false: Randeep Surjewala

Hot in the heels of speculations as to whether Rahul Gandhi has offered his resignation at the Congress Working Committee meeting, party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala has confirmed that Rahul has not tendered his resignation and that such a claim is incorrect.

Odisha voters go for split voting while electing MPs and MLAs

The Lok Sabha and Odisha​ Assembly elections were held simultaneously, but in many constituencies people have voted in favour of one party in the Parliamentary poll and for another in the state election. Odisha has 21 Lok Sabha seats and 147 Assembly constituencies. The Biju Janata Dal won 12 Lok Sabha seats while the BJP got eight and the Congress one but in the state Assembly election the BJD bagged 112 seats while the BJP won 23 and the Congress only nine.

In the prestigious Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat, former IAS officer Aparajita Sarangi, who contested as a BJP​ candidate, got the benefit of split votes. She was elected to Lok Sabha by defeating her BJD​ rival and former Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik by 23,939 votes though none of the saffron party candidates won in any of the seven Assembly seats under the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituency.

PTI

DMK leaders pay tribute to Karunanidhi after sweeping Tamil Nadu

DMK president MK Stalin and newly elected MPs and MLAs, along with other leaders of the party, paid tributes to M Karunanidhi, in Chennai, following their sweep of Tamil Nadu in the Lok Sabha election and comparatively worse performance in the bypolls. The leaders also met party general secretary K Anbazhagan at his residence.

Kamal Nath skips CWC meet

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath is not present at the Congress Working Committee meeting taking place at the party headquarters today. No reasons have been made official as to why Nath has skipped the meeting, even though speculation is alive that the leader is worried about his own government’s future.

Congress spokesperson blames party hubris for loss, calls for removal of old gods

Congress spokesperson Aiyshwarya Mahadev tweeted in the aftermath of her party’s loss in the Lok Sabha elections that it was not the BJP which beat Congress but its own hubris. She also called for a change of guard. The topic has proven a recurring one in the ranks of the Congress, as its working committee meets to discuss the future of the leadership in the party.

Modi’s victory a loss for battle of ideas, writes Amartya Sen in NYT op-ed

Nobel laureate and economist Amartya Sen has written an opinions editorial in the New York Times , where he has called Narendra Modi’s victory a loss of the “battle of ideas.” He has criticised the open rightwing hatred allegedly harnessed by the BJP in the path to its electoral victory, citing examples of Pragya Singh Thakur and Modi’s repeated mentions of the Balakot airstrikes.

“If Modi used his charisma in electioneering, he also poured money into electoral spending — many times more than the Congress Party and all the other political parties. This is in addition to the asymmetry in media coverage: The state-owned television network, Doordarshan, gave the ruling BJP twice the amount of airtime than it offered to the Congress Party in the important month of May,” Sen wrote.

BJD leader who trounced Sambit Patra to donate salary for Fani relief

BJP MP Pinaki Misra, who defeated BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra by several thousand votes from Odisha’s Puri constituency, has said that he will give up his ’entire salary and allowances’ from the Parliament to the the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund so that the people in his constituency can benefit from the resulting relief work.

Bengal BJP leader predicts victory for party in Bengal Assembly polls

Saumitra Khan, the winning BJP candidate from the Bishnupur seat, who was once a TMC heavyweight has said here will be no contest between the BJP and TMC in the West Bengal Assembly elections. “They (TMC) will only be able to win a maximum of 60 seats,” he has told ANI.

Congress Working Committee meeting takes off 

The Congress Working Committee meeting has taken off with the doors to the meeting room of the party’s headquarters in New Delhi now being shut for discussions and evaluations on the party’s dismal performance in the election. Several veteran leaders are seated at the table, including Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Manmohan Singh, Siddaramaiah, P Chidambaram, Ashok Gehlot, Sheila Dikshit, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, Ratanjit Pratap Narain Singh, PL Punia and Motilal Vora are present.

Sonia Gandhi, Siddaramaiah, P Chidambaram arrive for Congress Working Committee meeting

In what is looking to be a sombre meeting of evaluation, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and senior party leaders P Chidambaram and Siddaramaiah have arrived for the Congress’s working committee meeting. Former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh has also arrived at the venue. 

Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge, several others of Congress brass arrive for working committee meeting

Senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, PL Punia, Motilal Vohra and Ratanjit Pratap Narain Singh have all arrived for the Congress Working Committee meeting scheduled on Saturday in New Delhi. The Congress will introspect after the crushing defeat it has faced in the Lok Sabha polls and possibly take a call on its future under president Rahul Gandhi.

TMC suspends BJP leader Mukul Roy’s son: Subhrangshu to follow in father’s footsteps, to join saffron party for ’new innings’

Suspended TMC MLA Subhrangshu Roy on Friday said he would join the BJP within a few days, a “new innings” in which he will be able to “breath freely”. The Trinamool Congress earlier in the day suspended Roy for six years for anti-party comments. Subhrangshu, the TMC legislator from Bijpur, is the son of BJP leader Mukul Roy. “Now, I will breath freely. Many in the TMC feel suffocated,” he said, claiming that several others from the party will “follow his footsteps”.

PTI

Narendra Modi to meet his mother tomorrow

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mother, as much a part of the BJP and Opposition’s poll campaign as any other plank, will get a visit from her son tomorrow (Sunday, 26 May). Modi tweeted that he will seek her blessings before visiting Varanasi the next day. Modi’s visits to his mother, in Gujarat, always receive great media attention, something the Opposition had criticised more than often.

#CongBachaoRahulHatao trends on Twitter as BJP supporters take digs at Congress chief 

As the Congress Working Committee prepares to meet on Saturday to introspect on and evaluate the party’s performance, it is BJP’s social media-happy supporters who have been tweeting en masse using the #CongBachaoRahulHatao hashtag to poke fun at speculation on Rahul’s resignation from the party president’s post. Several have noted how this possibility will perhaps be denied by Rahul’s family itself.

SP removes all media panelists with immediate effect

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has dismissed the nomination of all the media panelists of the party, and asks the media houses to not invite any party office-bearer for debates.

Political parties to hold meetings to discuss success, defeats

Expect all political parties to huddle up with their respective leaders and office bearers in the wake of the historic results of the general elections. While the BJP will hold consultations with its allies at the NDA’s Parliamentary Party at Parliament’s Central Hall, the Congress will introspect after the crushing defeat and possibly take a call on its future at its working committee meeting. Trinamool Congress will review the BJP’s rise in West Bengal. YSR Congress in Andhra Pradesh will formally elect Jaganmohan Reddy so he can be sworn in as chief minister. Meanwhile in Tamil Nadu, DMK leaders and MPs will hold a meeting to celebrate their stellar performance.