- The storm-created aftermath of the 18th Lok Sabha results has gradually settled down with the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance forming the Union Government for the third successive term. The Union Government is in place after the swearing-in ceremony and the ministers have already assumed charge of their respective departments. As expected, the opposition has stuck to their demand for an election of the Lok Sabha speaker since the treasury and the opposition benches failed to arrive at a consensus to elect the Deputy Speaker. The NDA should sail through this. As you are aware, the Lok Sabha will witness a palpable change vis-à-vis an absolute majority to any single political party as was the case with the two previous terms.
PC: The Hindu
- The Bharatiya Janata Party still remains the single-largest party though. What has changed in the present Lok Sabha is the composition of the opposition with the Grand Old Party winning 99 seats as compared to the 52 it had won the previous term. Moreover, the Samajwadi Party has gained handsomely in the Parliamentary polls by winning 37 seats emerging as the single-largest party from Uttar Pradesh. This is a big setback for the saffron brigade since the biggest state in the Hindi heartland has returned a mixed bag of results. Needless to mention, the opposition INDI alliance led by the Congress must be itching to corner the Union Government on several burning issues setting the tone for the new term in an explosive manner.
- There is no dearth of burning issues either. Look not far from the Manipur violence, the NTA/NEET fiasco, rising prices, farmers issues, employment scenario, inflationary trends, and last but not least, the concerns flagged by the opposition about the BJP’s move to alter the Constitution will be in the news. It gets an impression that the BJP was not able to counter these claims emanating from the opposition ranks effectively resulting in the reduced Lok Sabha seats. It’s another matter altogether that the BJP had a majority of its own in the previous two Parliamentary polls but never indicated anywhere about tampering with the Constitution. The narrative has, however, gained traction over the years. One thing is for sure, the BJP-led NDA will not have smooth sailing to push through with some of the manifesto agenda, unlike previous times.
PC: Business Today
- The moot point to ponder over here is whether some of the reforms urgently demanding attention will see the day of light in the coming Parliamentary sessions. Going by the look of things, the treasury benches will be facing enormous disruptions from the opposition ranks emboldened by the unexpected gain in the recently concluded elections. Interestingly, will the Modi government make efforts to enlist the opposition’s support in pushing through with some of the reformist agenda? The people’s mandate is very clear for a coalition government at the Centre. Thus, the Modi government must initiate a suitable approach by taking the opposition into confidence on matters of national importance. Let’s wait and watch how things will unfold in the coming days.
