India's Modi to present coalition deal to president

Modi's Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled outright for the past decade but failed to repeat its prior two landslide wins, defying analyst expectations and exit polls.
It was instead forced into quick-fire talks with a 15-member coalition that agreed to give it the parliamentary numbers to govern, reports BSS.
Modi was expected to visit President Droupadi Murmu with allied party leader son Friday to seek her formal approval to form the next government, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) supporting Modi's third term ambitions "unanimously" chose the 73-year-old premier as leader on Wednesday.
The alliance holds 293 seats in parliament, giving it control of the 543-seatbody.
Modi's party has not revealed what concessions alliance members were given tosecure their support, but several larger parties were seeking plum ministerial port folios.
The Indian Express reported Friday that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) from thesouthern state of Andhra Pradesh -- the largest BJP ally with 16 seats --would press for the revival of plans to build a new state legislativecapital.
The BJP's second-biggest ally, the Janata Dal (United) party of Bihar state,was meanwhile seeking a review of a contentious army recruitment schemeintroduced by the government in 2022 to cut military expenditure.
Modi's new reliance on "the minefield of coalition politics" meant he facedthe prospect of a far tougher-than-expected third term, the Hindustan Timeswarned in its Thursday editorial.
Indian media reports said Modi was likely to be sworn in as prime minister onSunday.
Regional leaders including Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh and Sri LankanPresident Ranil Wickremesinghe have said they will attend the ceremony.
Modi insisted on Tuesday that the election results were a victory thatensured he would continue his agenda.
"Our third term will be one of big decisions and the country will write a newchapter of development," Modi told a crowd of cheering supporters in thecapital New Delhi after his win.
Commentators and exit polls had projected an overwhelming victory for Modi,who critics have accused of leading the jailing of opposition figures andtrampling on the rights of India's 200-million-plus Muslim community.
But the BJP secured 240 seats in parliament, well down from the 303 it wonfive years ago and 32 short of a majority on its own.