New Delhi, Jun 4 (IANS): Thanking the voters for reposing faith in the BJP-led NDA for a record third consecutive time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured on Tuesday that some "big decisions" to build a 'Viksit Bharat' (developed India) will be taken during his third term.
"We don't have time to halt. This is the time to move ahead together for the country's betterment. We have to constantly take some big decisions for a 'Viksit Bharat', and for the future of the country. It is after six decades that the country's voters have created history by electing an alliance - the NDA - for the third consecutive time," said PM Modi as he addressed party workers at the BJP headquarters in Delhi after the results of the Lok Sabha elections were announced on Saturday.
Eradicating poverty and eliminating corruption from the country in the coming years is a "Modi ki Guarantee", the Prime Minister said.
While celebrations also continued in the opposition camp with the INDIA bloc putting up a formidable fight, PM Modi asserted that they could not match the blessings that the NDA has received from the people.
"A united opposition could not win as many seats as the BJP got on its own. The people of the country have placed their faith in the BJP and the NDA. This victory is the victory of the biggest democracy in the world," he said.
"BJP is forming the government in Odisha and has also done well in the Lok Sabha elections there. This is for the first time that we will have a BJP CM in the land of Lord Jagannath," he added.
The Prime Minister also cited BJP and NDA's good showing in the Assembly elections that took place in Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Sikkim, other than Odisha.
"In Kerala, the BJP has won a seat. Our workers, who have served the party for many generations, sacrificed a lot there. Their hard work has now resulted in this breakthrough moment," PM Modi said.
"In Telangana, our strength has doubled. In Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and several other states, our party has nearly made a clean sweep.
"In Andhra Pradesh, the NDA has done exceptionally well under Chandrababu Naidu's leadership. Same is the case with Bihar under Nitish ji... I congratulate everyone and want to assure the people that their development will remain a top priority for our government," he added.
PM Modi also mentioned the "unprecedented enthusiasm" shown by the voters in Jammu and Kashmir, saying that they have "shown a mirror" to those who tried to defame the nation.
Recalling the times before 2014, the Prime Minister said that the country has gone through a tremendous change over the last 10 years.
"Ten years ago, the country voted for change. Those were difficult times for the nation with so many scams making headlines every day. The country's youth were extremely worried about its future. We worked with full integrity and people voted us to power once again in 2019.
"Now that you have given us your blessings for the third time, I want to assure everyone that we will work together to take the country forward... In our third term, we will rewrite a new chapter in the nation's history by making some brave decisions," the Prime Minister said.
PM Modi also said that the just-finished elections were an emotional rollercoaster for him personally.
"This was the first election after my mother passed away. But, I had the support and backing of mothers and sisters of the entire country. They did not let me feel lonely and blessed me with lots of love and affection," he said.
The PM also thanked the Election Commission of India for successfully pulling off such a massive exercise - the world's biggest elections - amid the scorching summer heat.