Shiv Sena says Modi will get second term, praises Rahul, Priyanka for ‘Hard Work’
Mumbai, May 21: The Shiv Sena Tuesday expressed confidence that a government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be re-elected for a second term as the exit polls show a "clear trend" in the BJP-led NDA's favour.
At the same time, it also praised Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and his sister and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for their "hard work", saying their party will get enough seats to bag the leader of the opposition's post in the new Lok Sabha.
Elections to 542 seats of 543-member Lok Sabha ended on Sunday and counting of votes is scheduled for Thursday.
Most exit polls have forecast another term for Prime Minister Modi, with some of them projecting that the BJP-led NDA would get over 300 seats to comfortably cross the majority mark of 272 in the Lok Sabha.
"There was no need for political pundits to say the Modi government will be re-elected. The ground situation was such that people were leading the poll campaign and had made up their mind to vote Modi back to power," the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana'.
Noting that the exit polls show a "clear trend" in favour of the Modi-led government, it said there are also predictions of the BJP having a clear lead in the Congress- ruled Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and also in West Bengal, where the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC is in power.
"In Maharashtra, the Sena-BJP alliance will register a historic win," the Marathi daily claimed.
"Modi will be the prime minister again and the Congress and other opposition parties will fail to make a mark. But, it is better to wait till May 23 for the actual results," said the Sena, which is an ally of the BJP at the Centre and in Maharashtra.
The editorial also had a word of praise for Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
"They worked hard. The Congress will be successful as a strong opposition party," it said.
"In 2014, Rahul Gandhi could not win (enough) seats to get the leader of opposition's post. This time, the Congress will have a leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha. This will surely be Rahul Gandhi's success," the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said.
In the last Lok Sabha elections, the BJP bagged 282 seats while the Congress managed to win only 44 seats.
In order to get the leader of opposition's post, the party concerned must have at least 10 per cent of the total strength of the House.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
