Narendra Modi’s coalition has won a parliamentary majority in the country’s election, according to official results.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is made up of a number of parties including Prime Minister Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), won 289 seats.
A total of 272 were needed for a majority in the country’s lower house of parliament – the equivalent of the UK’s House of Commons.
It meant that the BJP remains the biggest party in the country – this time with 240 seats – but it fell short of a majority by itself.
This was despite exit polls suggesting the popular but controversial Mr Modi would get over the line with just the BJP.
In previous elections, in 2014 and 2019, his party achieved landslide victories.
The BJP is now expected to form a coalition government – likely securing him a third consecutive term as prime minister.
Mr Modi described the coalition success as a “historical feat”.
The 73-year-old has become only the second prime minister – after India’s independence leader Jawaharlal Nehru – to win three consecutive terms.
The counting of 642 million votes in the world’s largest election began early on Tuesday.
Mr Modi later declared victory in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
He wrote: “People have placed their faith in NDA, for a third consecutive time! This is a historical feat in India’s history.”
Mr Modi also thanked supporters and campaign staff, adding: “Words will never do justice to their exceptional efforts.”
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‘Back to the days of bargaining’
The Hindu nationalist BJP and its allies have faced a broad opposition alliance led by the Congress party and its main campaign leader, Rahul Gandhi.
The anti-Modi alliance has won in 230 constituencies so far and is leading in two more, according to the latest figures.
Image:
Senior opposition figure Rahul Gandhi waves to supporters in New Delhi on Tuesday. Pic: Reuters
Indian political commentator Arati R Jerath said: “We’ll have to see who is going to lead this government because we are now going back to the days of bargaining which we haven’t seen in the last 10 years, because Modi was so dominant.
“Now, Modi is not known as a consensual figure. So, it’ll be very interesting to see how he manages the pulls and pressures of a coalition government.”
Image:
BJP supporters in Bengaluru, south India, on Tuesday. Pic: Reuters
Milan Vaishnav, from thinktank the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said a BJP failure to secure an outright majority would be “uncharted territory, both for Indians as well as for the prime minister”.
He added the party could be left being “heavily dependent on the goodwill of its allies, which makes them critical players who we can expect will extract their pound of flesh, both in terms of policymaking as well as government formation”.
Read more: Narendra Modi: A history-making leader with god-like status – and fierce critics
Modi’s political acumen will now be tested
Narendra Modi is expected to return to office for the third time, but it will be with diminished numbers.
The prime minister’s party, the BJP, has fallen short of the majority figure of 272 and will now have to rely on coalition partners to form a government.
It will test his political acumen, management and manoeuvring to make sure coalition parties keep his government stable.
During his previous tenure, a number of his coalition partners had withdrawn support, but it did not matter as the BJP had an overwhelming majority.
The opposition Congress-led alliance that took on Modi campaigned on issues of high unemployment, inflation and a cost of living crisis.
Their promises to put up wages, proe three million government jobs to the youth, and increase farmers’ income helped them attract voters.
Anti-incumbency played a factor against Modi, but primarily it was the economic distress that had a detrimental effect.
The communal narrative which Modi played up halfway through his election campaign also didn’t pay many diends. Fence sitters have heard the rhetoric for too long.
Around 970 million people – more than 10% of the world’s population – were eligible to vote after polls opened in mid-April, with an average turnout of around 66% across the seven phases, according to official figures.
During his 10 years in power, Mr Modi has transformed India’s political landscape, his popularity outstripping that of his party.
However, a decade of his leadership has also left the country deeply died – religiously and economically.
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Just how many people voted in India’s election?
‘Hybrid regime’
Mr Modi’s opponents and critics say his Hindu-first politics have bred intolerance, hate speech and brazen attacks against the country’s minorities – raising concerns over the treatment of Muslims, Christians and other religious groups.
India’s economy is among the fastest-growing in the world and has helped the country emerge as a global power and a counterweight to China.
But it has become unequal, with only a small portion of Indians benefitting from the economic boom and youth unemployment soaring.
Read more:Modi’s party notably absent in KashmirMinority communities anxious about possible Modi winModi reported to Electoral Commission
The country’s democratic values under Mr Modi’s leadership have also come under scrutiny.
Under Mr Modi, the media – once viewed as vibrant and largely independent – has become more pliant and critical voices muzzled.
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Many watchdogs have now categorised India as a “hybrid regime” that is neither a full democracy nor a full autocracy.
Mr Modi’s government has repeatedly denied and dismissed accusations of discrimination, saying its policies aim for the welfare of all communities without bias and that it enforces the law equally.
