The Indian ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party was assured Tuesday of winning a majority in the general elections, local reports said, a development that secures a third term for the leader of the South Asian democracy.
While Modi declared victory, describing the results as a “historical feat,” the reports said his Bharatiya Janata Party is running short of an outright majority in the lower house for the first time since he took office in 2014, and his ruling bloc is likely to lose more seats than projected before the elections, which began in mid-April.
“I bow to the Janata Janardan (Indian citizens) for this affection and assure them that we will continue the good work done in the last decade to keep fulfilling the aspirations of people,” Modi shared on the X social media platform.
“People have placed their faith in NDA, for a third consecutive time!” he said, referring to the acronym of the BJP-led ruling coalition known as the National Democratic Alliance.
According to the election commission, Modi’s BJP is likely to win around 240 seats, which would be the fewest the party has won under Modi’s leadership and far short of the 272 needed to control the chamber outright.
The party garnered 303 and 282 seats in the previous elections in 2019 and 2014, respectively.
Under Modi, India has achieved high economic growth, with the country climbing to fifth in the world from 10th in gross domestic product over the past decade.
Experts said the ruling party lost support this time due to the widening gap between the rich and the poor amid a rapidly developing economy, with the poor turning to the opposition bloc as it promised to deal with issues such as unemployment, inflation and Hindu-centric politics.
Mallikarjun Kharge, president of the Indian National Congress, the main opposition party, celebrated its projected big leap in the elections, which lasted for about a month and a half through Saturday.
“We fought in the elections on unemployment, inflation and attacks on institutions. People aligned with our issues,” Kharge told a press conference Tuesday.
The center-left party had ruled India for over 50 years, but was defeated in the previous two elections under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, son of the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
BY: The Times Union / KYODO
