PM Modi resigns

India, June 5 - Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday tendered his resignation along with the Council of Ministers to President Droupadi Murmu. "The President has accepted the resignation and requested Shri Narendra Modi and the Council of Ministers to continue till the new government assumes office," a press communique said. 

PM Modi is likely to be sworn in as the Prime Minister for a third consecutive term on June 8 evening, sources told India Today. The NDA scraped past the majority mark to win 292 seats, but the BJP fell short of the majority on its own. If the NDA forms the government, Modi will be the second leader to retain power for a third term after former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

Top leaders of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) are scheduled to meet this evening to take stock of the Lok Sabha election results and deliberate on the details of government formation.

JD(U) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu, who is set to become the next Andhra Pradesh chief minister, will attend the meeting where top leaders of the BJP and its other allies are also expected to be present.

They are expected to congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is set for a record-equalling third term at the helm, and discuss with him the details of the new government, which is likely to be different in composition and character with a bigger share for the BJP's allies.

While the NDA is comfortably above the majority mark of 272 in the 543-member Lok Sabha, the BJP has fallen short of the magic number for the first time since 2014 and is dependent on its allies for government formation.

TDP, JD(U), Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Chirag Paswan-led LJP (Ram Vilas) have won 16, 12, seven, and five seats respectively and will play a crucial role in government formation.