New Delhi, June 9 (IANS) When the 2024 Lok Sabha election results were announced in June, naysayers rubbed their hands in glee; not because the mandate returned the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the single largest party in the Lower House of Parliament, but that it ran short of an absolute majority by a few seats.

When the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners, including Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and the Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party (TDP), again extended their support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the total strength of the Treasury benches rose to 293 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha. Though the alliance comprised some 44 member-parties, the naysayers still dismissed the new government as “short-lived”.

Two years later, the nation is celebrating the anniversary of Modi 3.0 at the Centre; the NDA remains a cohesive front, while the Opposition bloc crumbles. The 75-year-old veteran JD(U) leader has since moved to the Centre as a Rajya Sabha member, voluntarily vacating his position with blessings for his successor, Bihar’s new BJP Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and another ally, former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader H.D. Deve Gowda, penned paeans on Modi’s leadership while celebrating an uninterrupted three-term governance, now completing 12 years. Incidentally, the nonagenarian JD(S) leader has reportedly announced retirement from electoral politics, opting out of the Rajya Sabha race and ending a seven-decade-long Parliamentary career.

In an article in The Times of India, he reflected that Modi becoming the longest continuously serving democratically elected Prime Minister after surpassing the record of Jawaharlal Nehru reflects both the strength and evolution of Indian democracy, while crediting his leadership for what he described as uncompromising protection of national interest and sustained public support.

Nehru’s first term as the Prime Minister of Independent India was not through direct popular votes; the general election to elect the first Lok Sabha was held between 1951 and 1952. Though he won three consecutive elections, he spent two years in office after the 1962 Parliamentary poll.

Deve Gowda also observed that the Congress at that time functioned as a dominant political force with minimal opposition, while by the time Modi assumed office in 2014 and returned for a third term in 2024, India had transformed significantly in terms of diversity and economic complexity. He said it would not be exactly prudent to suggest that becoming Prime Minister in 1952 was easier than in 2014 or 2024, adding that even by 1996, when he himself became Prime Minister, India’s political environment had already become more competitive, questioning, and mature.

He also stressed the fact that, unlike dynastic or privileged political backgrounds, leaders such as PM Modi and himself did not have access to inherited political capital, patronage, or social advantage that could serve as a springboard into national leadership.

Meanwhile, Naidu, penning his thoughts in The Indian Express, hailed Modi’s tenure as having rediscovered India’s cultural pride and national self-belief. He heaped praise on the Prime Minister and asserted that this milestone reflects the enduring trust that millions of Indians have placed in a model of governance anchored in the principle of “Nation First”. History, he mused, will remember this period not merely for economic growth or political stability, but for the restoration of India’s confidence in itself. The TDP chief also believed that this is India’s defining moment, the beginning of a golden era for India.

Despite the naysayers, the Modi government has completed 12 years at the helm. The administration looks secure and confident under him; strong performance has exceeded expectations, with alliance partners standing committed under the Prime Minister’s leadership. That commitment is reflected in the fact that the NDA government has successfully steered several major bills through Parliament, ranging from economic reforms and social legislation to constitutional amendments.

–IANS

jb/skp