LIVE | Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Modi to take oath as Prime Minister of India on June 9

The alliance was targeting “400 paar” i.e., over 400 seats, this time. However, it had to settle for 292. This helped pave the way for a coalition NDA government that on Wednesday (Jun 5) formally elected Modi as the bloc’s leader.

Stay connected with WION for all the LIVE updates as India awaits the formal swearing-in of Modi for this third term as PM.

Modi meets President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan

Narendra Modi meets President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and stakes claim to form the government. He was chosen as the leader of the NDA Parliamentary Party today.

PM Narendra Modi meets veteran BJP leaders

PM Modi meets veteran leader LK Advani at the latter’s residence in New Delhi on Friday. PM later headed to meets veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar at his residence.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh calls Narendra Modi 1/3rd PM

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday (June 7) said, “2024 elections were ‘prachand haar’ for Narendra Modi…He is 1/3rd PM (Narendra-Naidu-Nitish)…They won’t be able to run the alliance. BJP believe in ‘demo-kursi’ not democracy…”

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: NDA parliamentary meet

While addressing the senior alliance leaders, chief minsters and NDA MPs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “If I keep NDA on one side & the aspirations and resolves of people of India, then I would say – NDA: New India, Developed India, Aspirational India.”

“We have neither been defeated nor are we defeated. Our behavior after the 4th reflects our identity and shows that we know how to handle victory gracefully. Our values ensure that we do not become arrogant in victory, nor do we mock those who have lost. We honor the victorious and refrain from deriding the defeated. These are the principles we uphold,” the PM added.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: Reservation for Muslims to continue in Andhra Pradesh

As the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and its allies, the BJP and the Jana Sena, prepare to form the government in Andhra Pradesh following their landslide victory in the state assembly elections, TDP leader K. Ravindra Kumar in a statement assured that the reservation provided to Muslims will continue.

“We will continue that. There is no problem at all,” he told ANI.

This is a live-updating story. Earlier developments below:

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: Chirag Paswan elected as LJP (Ram Vilas) Parliamentary Party leader

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan has been elected as the LJP (Ram Vilas) Parliamentary Party leader after a meeting in Delhi. As per reports all five MPs of the party namely Veena Devi, Arun Bharti, Shambhavi Choudhary and Rajesh Verma along with LJP President Chirag Paswan were present in the meeting.

After the meeting, Paswan said while speaking to ANI said, “This is just a formality to choose the PM as the leader (of NDA Parliamentary Party). We contested the election under his (Narendra Modi’s) leadership. Under his leadership, we have the capability that NDA is forming the government for the third consecutive time with a thumping majority. All NDA MPs will gather together and this formality will be completed. NDA is going to form the government soon and PM is going to take the oath for the third time. The Government will be as strong as it functioned in the last 10 years.”

Chirag Paswan dismissed rumours of demands by his party, and said, “LJP is completely dedicated to our leader Narendra Modi. There is no doubt about it. In the NDA meeting held the day before yesterday, LJP extended the support to the leadership of PM Modi without any conditions. So, the party has no demands. I can say on behalf of the NDA that no party presented any demands that day. Everyone extended the support unconditionally. Today, NDA will probably submit the letter of support to PM Modi’s leadership to the President today.”

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: Modi 3.0 swearing in ceremony on June 9

Narendra Modi will be sworn in as the Prime Minister of India on June 9 (Sunday). As per the latest announcement, the ceremony will be held at 6 pm IST at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: Rahul Gandhi gets bail in BJP defamation case

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been granted bail in the defamation case filed against him and the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar. As per an ANI report, the Special Court in Bengaluru granted him bail on the security of DK Suresh. The matter has been posted for July 30 for the next hearing.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: BJP condemns ‘ISIS-style’ beheading of goat by DMK supporters. See viral video here

The BJP has denounced a deeply disturbing video that is going viral on social media platforms. In the video, labelled “ISIS-style hatred” by the party’s national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, supporters of the DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) party can be seen beheading a goat that had a photograph of Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai around its neck.

Trigger warning: Violence against animals. Viewer discretion advised.

As per reports, this gruesome act was reportedly in celebration of the DMK’s victory over Annamalai in the recent Coimbatore Lok Sabha election.

“Barbaric is an understatement… this is ISIS-style hatred. Political rivals slaughtered a goat with a picture of Annamalai to celebrate their victory in Coimbatore. Annamalai is the son of a farmer, and his family rears goats. In the past, DMK has mocked Annamalai over goat farming. Imagine if BJP workers did this to an opposition member – they would call it fascism, but from Bengal to TN, when there is such vile hatred, pseudo liberals and the ‘Save Constitution brigade’ are silent,” said Poonawalla.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: Harsimrat Kaur Badal urges Modi to fulfil promises made to farmers

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal has urged the incoming Narendra Modi government to prioritise the resolution of farmer grievances and to fulfil the promises previously made to them.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who served as the Minister for Food Processing Industries from 2014 to 2020 under Prime Minister Modi’s government, also spoke against the negative stereotyping of Punjabis. She expressed strong objections to any attempts to label Punjabis as “atankwadi” (terrorists) or “ugarwadi” (insurgents).

Posting on the social media platform X, Badal said, “I urge union govt to focus on farmer grievances and fulfil the promises made. No one should be allowed to label Punjabis as atankwadi or ugarwadi and fan communal divisions. Punjabis are foremost patriots, serving the nation on the borders and as food providers. We deserve better.”

Lok Sabha Elections 2024 LIVE: Rahul Gandhi to appear before court in BJP defamation case

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi is set to appear before a special court in Karnataka’s Bengaluru on Friday (June 7) in connection with a defamation case filed by Karnataka’s BJP unit.

The BJP state unit in its complaint had alleged that advertisements in local newspapers and ‘false campaigning’ by the Congress party ahead of the 2023 state assembly elections damaged BJP’s image. Subsequently, a case was registered against the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Earlier, the court granted bail to Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, who appeared before it on June 1.