New Delhi, June 24 (EFE).- India’s new parliament began its first session on Monday following the re-election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the third consecutive term without a clear majority, which forced him to form a coalition government.
The first session of the Lok Sabha, or lower house of parliament, began with the oath-taking of parliamentarians, who were elected in the elections concluded earlier this month.
A total of 543 seats that make up the chamber were up for grabs in the elections.
“The 18th Lok Sabha is starting today. The world’s largest election was conducted in a very grand and glorious manner,” Modi told reporters outside the parliament gates before the start of the session.
The third consecutive term of Modi, who won the general elections for the first time in 2014 and was re-elected in 2019, appeared to be the most complicated due to the lack of a majority for his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Although the BJP won the highest 240 seats, it fell short of the 272 required for the majority, forcing the Hindu nationalist leader to rely for the first time in a decade on his political partners, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), to govern.
Added to this uncertain situation for Modi is an opposition energized by the results of the elections with a cumulative 234 seats, much higher than the previous two terms when it had little voice in the house.
In his address, Modi asked the opposition to live up to citizens’ expectations and come up with proposals instead of protests.
“The country needs a good opposition, a responsible opposition, and I have full faith that the MPs who have won in this 18th Lok Sabha will try to fulfil these expectations of the common man,” Modi said.
The first session of the Indian parliament will be held until July 3.
In addition to electing the speaker of the House, the session will focus on lawmakers assuming their new roles, the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs of India said in a statement. EFE
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