Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was deep in negotiations with alliance partners to form his cabinet Thursday, after an unexpectedly close election that forced his party into a coalition government.
Modi's Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which ruled for the past decade with an outright majority, had been expecting another landslide win.
But results of the six-week election released Tuesday ran counter to exit polls, seeing the BJP lose its majority and sending it into quick-fire talks to lock in a 15-member coalition that would allow it to govern.
That grouping, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), announced late Wednesday that they had agreed to form a government, "unanimously" choosing Modi as their leader.
The alliance holds 293 seats in parliament, giving it control of the 543-seat body.
The motley assortment of minor parties on Thursday were seeking to leverage their new influence to extract minister positions.
India's NDTV reported "hectic negotiations" on top jobs, suggesting that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) from the southern state of Andhra Pradesh -- the largest BJP ally with 16 seats -- wanted five posts including parliamentary speaker.
The Indian Express said the support of smaller parties would "come at a price", suggesting that the BJP's second-biggest ally, the Janata Dal (United) party of Bihar state, was seeking the railways and rural development portfolios.
Modi's new reliance on "the minefield of coalition politics" meant he faced the prospect of a far tougher-than-expected third term, the Hindustan Times warned in its Thursday editorial.
"Consensus building will have to be the bedrock of governance," it added, noting the right-wing BJP will have to "recalibrate its expansion plans".
Indian media reports said Modi could be sworn in as prime minister as early as Saturday, with regional leaders including Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe expected.
While Modi faces a complicated task ahead at home, he won the plaudits of leaders around the world.
US President Joe Biden congratulated Modi saying the "friendship between our nations is only growing," while French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated his "dear friend".
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