Modi’s party wins Indian election but with smaller majority

New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s coalition won a majority in parliament in the country’s staggered election, according to official results released early Wednesday by India’s Election Commission.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is garlanded by senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Rajnath Singh, left, party President JP Nadda, right, and Amit Shah, at the party headquarters in Delhi.Credit: AP

The count showed that Modi’s National Democratic Alliance won 293 seats, more than the 272 seats needed to secure a majority but far fewer than predicted.

He had already claimed victory for the alliance late on Tuesday, even though his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party won less seats than expected, only 250 seats, less than the 272 needed to form a government, the New York Times reported. However, with the 52 seats won by BJP allies, Modi remains in power.

The result is a far cry from 2019, when the BJP won a record 303 seats.

In this election, the opposition alliance, led by the Indian National Congress Party, took 235 seats.

“Today’s victory is the victory of the world’s largest democracy” Modi told a crowd at his party’s headquarters. He said the NDA will form the government for the third consecutive time.

Still, India’s opposition Congress party called the opposition alliance’s strong showing in the polls a “win for democracy” and a “moral and political loss” for Modi.

Congress party supporters cheer as they follow proceedings of vote counting at their party headquarters in New Delhi, India.Credit: AP

More than 640 million votes were cast in the marathon election held over a span of six weeks in the world’s largest democratic exercise. Nearly 970 million people — more than 10 per cent of the world’s population — were eligible to vote. The turnout averaged 66 per cent, according to official data.

India’s vote was the latest in an unusually busy stretch of elections around the world that are challenging the status quo.

Modi says India will see a “new chapter of big decisions” in his third term in office.

After claiming victory for his coalition alliance despite a lacklustre performance from his own party, Modi told a crowd at party headquarters he would not shirk from pushing forward with his agenda.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi shows his finger marked with indelible ink after casting a ballot on May 7 during the third phase of voting for national elections in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.Credit: Bloomberg

He said he would advance India’s defence production, jobs for youth, raise exports and help farmers, among other things.

“This country will see a new chapter of big decisions. This is Modi’s guarantee,” he said, speaking in the third person.

AP

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