Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds up victory signs as he arrives at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters to celebrate the party’s victory in the country’s general election, in New Delhi, on Tuesday.
Arun Sankar/AFP via Getty Images
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Arun Sankar/AFP via Getty Images
NEW DELHI – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared election victory as his coalition won more than half the seats in parliament, with votes still being counted.
That puts Modi on track to win a third consecutive term – the country’s first prime minister to do so in more than 60 years.
This comes after a six-week election where nearly 1 billion people were eligible to vote.
In a speech at his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in New Delhi, Prime Minister Modi said the National Democratic Alliance “will form the government for the third time, we are grateful to the people”. “This is a victory for the world’s largest democracy.”
But the BJP’s celebrations appeared to be relatively muted.
Modi’s coalition has set a high target of winning 400 out of 543 parliamentary seats. As of 9 p.m. local time, it was leading with 288 seats, according to Election Commission of India. INDIA’S coalition of opposition parties wins 233 seats, despite exit poll predicted a much lower rate.
On Tuesday morning, only a small group of supporters gathered at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi as initial trends suggested the alliance would not win a landslide victory. While one loudly sang hymns praising Prime Minister Modi in front of television cameras, the mood was relatively somber.
At the opposition Congress party office, supporters were cheering and dancing.
Meanwhile, the Indian stock market fell to its lowest level in 4 years. Reuters reportedwith news that the ruling coalition is winning by a narrower margin than expected, which could make passing its laws more difficult.
When the seven phases are big The election begins In April, most analysts predicted a landslide victory for Modi and his allies.
At that time, Mr. Modi was inaugurated a Hindu temple built atop a mosque razed by Hindu nationalists in Ayodhya; The income tax department has frozen the Congress party’s bank account citing unpaid dues; and India’s top investigative agencies have charged several opposition leaders with corruption or money laundering.
While rejecting accusations of Modi’s authoritarianism, the BJP focused its campaign on economic growth, welfare programs and India’s rise on the world stage. The party has failed to rein in high inflation and unemployment during its decade in power, but some voters told NPR that Mr. Modi has risen above his government’s failures.
However, after the first round of voting in April, the ruling party’s views became increasingly polarized along religious lines.
In his election speeches, Modi accused the Congress Party of plotting to steal the wealth of the Hindu majority and distribute it to minority Muslims, whom he called “the intrusion” and “people with more children”. After multiple complaints by opposition parties, the election commission said it would hold party chairmen accountable for violations by its star campaigners.
INDIA’S Opposition Alliance – a coalition of two dozen parties led by the Congress – has cast the election as a fight to save the country’s constitution. Although a key partner dropped out before the election, the National Assembly and strong regional parties helped the coalition win more seats than expected. A key victory was in the popular state of Uttar Pradesh, where the opposition alliance is leading in nearly half the seats it lost to the BJP in 2019. This includes Faizabad, where the temple is located. Hindu controversy.
in one victory speech On Tuesday night, starting with a salute to a Hindu deity, Modi reiterated his intention to make India a developed nation in the next two decades. He added that he would work with all state governments, regardless of party.
Earlier in the evening, the opposition Congress party speak The main opposition won seats despite the “capture” of state institutions by the BJP. Party leader Rahul Gandhi then pulled out a copy of the Indian Constitution and said the mandate was the “first step” in stopping Mr Modi from trying to change it.
Professor Ashwini Kumar, a political analyst from Mumbai, said: “The main message of these elections is that the era of coalition politics is back and Modi’s model of one-party dominance will not more effective.” “It also means that the BJP will have to box up controversial ideological issues, such as a uniform civil code or simultaneous elections for parliament and the National Assembly.”
Kapil Komireddi, author of The Wicked Republic: A Brief History of the New Indiawarned that the BJP could “poach” elected lawmakers from other parties – “an art they have perfected”.
“If this happens, the prime minister could return to commanding a government with a majority in Parliament,” he said. “The difference is, in his own party, everyone knows magic has weakened.”
Diaa Hadid contributed reporting to this story.
