Despite coming together, our opponents could not get as many seats as BJP on its own: PM Modi

New Delhi [India], June 4 (ANI): Thanking the people for supporting the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a jibe at the opposition INDIA bloc and said that despite coming together, they could not get as many seats as the BJP on its own.

PM Modi also lauded the party’s performance in the assembly elections in the four states. He was addressing people at the BJP headquarters in the national capital on Tuesday.

“Receiving the affection and blessings of people for the third time gives us a new energy. All our opponents, despite coming together couldn’t win as many seats as won by the BJP on its own,” PM Modi said in his address.

He pointed out that it is the first time in history after 1962 that a party has “returned to power” for the third time.

“People who voted this time, are higher in number than the total population of many countries. The voters of Jammu and Kashmir have showed great enthusiasm with their record turnout. They have shown a mirror to those who tried to defame India globally,” the Prime Minister said.

“There are many aspects of this mandate. After 1962, it is the first time that a government has returned to power for the third consecutive time after completing its two tenures,” he added.

Hailing the party’s performance in Odisha and NDA’s huge win in Andhra Pradesh, PM Modi said the Congress could not even save its deposits in these seats.

“NDA has registered huge victory in the states where assembly elections took place: Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim. Congress has been wiped out in these states…they would have even found it difficult to save their deposits. BJP is going to form the government in Odisha and also registered great performance in the Lok Sabha polls in the state,” PM Modi said.

He emphasised that the BJP’s win on the Thrissur seat of Kerala is a moment for which BJP workers had been waiting for generations.

The Prime Minister added that NDA government has performed very well in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar under the leadership of Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar respectively.

“BJP also won a seat in Kerala. Our workers have kept fighting in the state for generations. The moment they were waiting for generations has finally come. Our numbers doubled in Telangana. Our party has done almost clean sweep in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and some other states. In Andhra Pradesh, under the leadership of Chandrababu Naidu, NDA has performed brilliantly. In Bihar, under Nitish Kumar’s leadership, NDA has performed very well,” he said.

He further attacked the Opposition parties on the issue of corruption and said the NDA government will keep on taking strong action against corruption during the third term.

“If the India of 21st century has to move forward, it will have to take strict action against corruption. Digital India and technology have restrained many ways of corruption.

But the fight against corruption is also becoming more difficult. When corruption is appreciated for political benefits, defying all limits of shamelessness, it gives huge power to corruption. That’s why NDA government’s huge priority will be to eradicate all forms of corruption,” he said.

Prime Minister Modi said the country would write a new chapter of taking big decisions during its third term.

“In the last 10 years, India took many big decisions. The idea of ‘Nation First’ gives us faith in achieving unbelievable targets…We carried out the world’s biggest beneficiary schemes. 70 years after independence, 12 crore people received tap water, 4 crore people received pucca houses, and 80 crore people received free ration,” PM Modi said in his address.

He highlighted steps like abrogation of Article 370, Covid management and reforms in GST and banking sectors and said it is ‘Modi Ki Guarantee’ that the government will continue to take big steps.

“Because of the idea of ‘Nation First’, Article 370 was abrogated from Kashmir. Reforms like GST, IBC (Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code) and banking reforms took place…even during the COVID-19 pandemic, we took the decision that was to the country’s benefit. We took steps defying all pressure. Because of this, today India is the world’s fastest-growing economy. This idea will make us Atmanirbhar (self-reliant),” PM Modi said.

“If you work 10 hours, Modi will work 18 hours. If you take 2 steps, Modi will walk 4 steps. We Indians will walk together, and take the country forward. The country will write a new chapter of making big decisions in the third term. And this is the ‘Modi Ki Guarantee’,” he added.

The Prime Minister also remembered his late mother and said women of this country never allowed him to feel her absence.

“This moment is very emotional for me. This was my first election after the death of my mother. But mothers, sisters and daughters never allowed me to feel her absence. Wherever I went, I received enormous blessings of people. Women broke all the records of voting in this election,” he further stated.

At the start of his address, PM Modi said that the BJP-led NDA will form its third successive government and that it is the victory of the resolve of Viksit Bharat, of ‘Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas’ and of the strong faith of people in India’s Constitution.

“On this sacred day, it is confirmed that NDA is forming the government for the third time. We are grateful to the people, they reposed full faith in the BJP, NDA. This is the victory of the world’s largest democracy, it is a victory of strong faith on India’s Constitution, it is the victory of the resolve of Viksit Bharat. It is the victory of ‘Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas’,” he said.

Recalling his victories in 2014 and 2019 elections, PM Modi expressed gratitude to people for giving huge support to BJP for the third time.

“10 years before, the country voted for change. The whole nation was submerged in disappointment at that time. We were given attributes of ‘Fragile Five’. The newspaper headlines were filled with news of corruption. At that time, the nation bestowed us with the responsibility to bring out the pearl of hope from the ocean of disappointment…In 2019, the country again gave us huge responsibility having trust in us. NDA’s second tenure became the guarantee of development and legacy,” PM Modi said.

He added, “In 2024, we went to every corner of this country to seek blessings of the people on these very guarantees. Today, I would like to bow down to the people for the mandate given to us for the third time.”

The Prime Minister was welcomed by BJP workers as he arrived at the party headquarters. Some workers also raised chants of “Jai Jagannath”.

Meanwhile, as the counting of Lok Sabha elections is coming to end, the Bharatiya Janata Party is ahead on 240 seats, while the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by BJP is leading on around 300 seats.

Most exit polls predicted a straight third term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with quite a few of them projecting a two-thirds majority for the ruling BJP-led NDA.

Prime Minister Modi himself won the Varanasi constituency for the third time. he defeated Congress candidate Ajay Rai by a margin of 1,52,513 votes, according to the Election Commission of India.

PM Modi received 6,12,970 votes while Ajay Rai received 4,60,457 votes. Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Ather Jamal Lari was in the third position with 33,766 votes.