Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed election victory for his party, set to secure a third consecutive term as Premier, although his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is projected to lose its majority in parliament after a decade.
“People have placed their faith in NDA (National Democratic Alliance) for a third consecutive time”, Modi wrote on social media platform X. “This is a historical feat in India’s history.”
With vote counting nearing completion by Tuesday evening, Modi’s alliance emerged as the victor, albeit with a surprisingly slim majority.
According to the ongoing vote count, Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP, unlike in the previous two elections, will require the support of its alliance partners to cross the 272-seat majority threshold in the 543-seat lower house of parliament.
Modi’s target of 400 seats for his National Democratic Alliance remained unfulfilled, with his party leading in only about 290 seats, according to Election Commission data with three-quarters of the count completed.
In comparison to 303 seats won in the previous election in 2019, the BJP was in the leading position for 239 seats.