Johnathan Paoli
President Cyril Ramaphosa has officially offered his congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his re-election as Prime Minister of the Republic of India and commended him for his commitment and dedication to the people of the Asian subcontinent.
In a statement from the presidency on Thursday, President Ramaphosa congratulated the Indian nation on exercising their democratic right in participating in the electoral process which took place in seven phases, stretching from 19 April to 1 June.
“South African and India share a strategic partnership. South Africa looks forward to continuing working with India on matters of importance to the people of both countries,” Ramaphosa said.He emphasised the importance of the two countries’ continued
cooperation to promote the agenda of the Global South, notably the reform of the global system of governance, and to align positions in the global fora in the interest of strengthening multilateral organisations. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in its National Democratic
Alliance (NDA) coalition secured 293 seats, with the BJP winning 240 seats on its own, while the opposition “INDIA” alliance led by Rahul Gandhi won 232 seats.
This would be Modi’s third term as president, following what many have called a close victory, considering his party’s loss of the majority in India’s lower house of Parliament.
The BJP faced a setback, losing 63 seats from its 2019 tally of 303, while the opposition made a comeback with 99 seats.
Furthermore, India’s opposition leader Gandhi has called for a parliamentary investigation into Modi and his right-hand man for alleged stock market manipulation in the wake of the election results.
Gandhi said Modi and home minister Amit Shah gave misleading advice to the public after exit polls incorrectly suggested the ruling party would win another landslide election victory.
In addition, some of the party’s alliance partners like the Janata Dal party have already said publicly that they will push the BJP to reverse some of its recent policies, and there is said to be disagreement over the seniority of cabinet roles being offered to JD and another coalition party.
The election has been closely monitored globally, as it reflects the political stability and future direction of the world’s largest democracy.
Some have called the results as indicating a continued mandate for Modi and his policies, with significant implications for the country’s domestic and international affairs.
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