AAP's Somnath Bharti takes a U-turn on ‘will shave head’ promise. Here's why
Somnath Bharti claimed PM Narendra Modi's third term was not solely his own but rather a result of consolidated efforts of allies part of the NDA.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Somnath Bharti, who had earlier vowed to shave his head if Narendra Modi came to power and became the prime minister again, has now taken a U-turn and refused to make good on his promise, claiming the latter's third term solely his own but rather a coalition government.
‘Will shave off my head if Modi…’: AAP's Somnath Bharti on exit polls
“I stated that I would shave my head if he were elected for a third term. However, he has not won on his own, he has won the election with the support of his alliance. I stand by my words. If he did not win on his own, it's not his victory. So, as I said, if he has not won independently, I will not shave my head,” Somnath Bharti told news agency PTI.
The AAP leader, expressing confidence in the INDIA bloc forming the government at the Centre ahead of the Lok Sabha results last week, had announced that he would shave off his head if Modi got another term at the Centre.
“I will shave off my head if Mr Modi becomes PM for the third time. Mark my word! All exit polls will be proven wrong on 4th June, and Modi ji will not become prime minister for the third time.” Somnath Bharti had said in a post on X after exit polls predicted a landslide victory for the BJP-led NDA.
He had claimed that all the exit polls will be proven wrong, and the AAP-Congress alliance will form a government in Delhi. All the exit polls conducted by major television news networks predicted a third term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the BJP-led NDA predicted to win over 350 seats on June 4.
Somnath Bharti, three-time Malviya Nagar MLA ,defends the AAP-Congress alliance
Consequent to the third term of the Modi government, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor, in a post on X, asked Somnath Bharti to shave his head immediately.
"We know Aam Aadmi Party leaders have no respect for their words, but this time people want Somnath Bharti to either shave his head or quit public life," Kapoor said.
On Sunday, Modi took oath as the prime minister of India for the third consecutive term. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office and secrecy to Modi and his 71-membered council of ministers, including 30 cabinet ministers, 5 ministers of state with independent charge, and 36 ministers of state.
Key BJP leaders who took oath alongside PM Modi include Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, JP Nadda, Nirmala Sitharaman, S Jaishankar and Piyush Goyal. Several former chief ministers were sworn in as ministers, including Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Manohar Lal Khattar, HD Kumaraswamy, Jitan Ram Manjhi and Sarbanand Sonowal.
Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha results came as a setback for both alliances as BJP this time failed to cross the majority mark of 272 seats, unlike 282 and 303 in the previous two terms in 2014 and 2019, respectively and INDIA bloc couldn't make to the throne.
Narendra Modi takes oath as Prime Minister for third consecutive time at Rashtrapati Bhavan
According to the Election Commission of India, the BJP won 240 seats, significantly lower than its 2019 tally of 303. The Congress made substantial gains, winning 99 seats. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured 293 seats, while the INDIA bloc crossed the 230 mark, posing stiff competition and defying predictions.
(With inputs from PTI)
