Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces a tougher third term after his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) failed to secure an outright majority for the first time since sweeping to power a decade ago.
Despite BJP losing seats to a resilient opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared his alliance’s victory in India’s general election and vowed to pursue his agenda.
“Today’s victory is the victory of the world’s largest democracy,” Modi told the crowd at his party’s headquarters Tuesday, saying Indian voters had “shown immense faith” both in his party and his National Democratic Alliance coalition.
For the first time since coming to power a decade ago, Modi’s right-wing and Hindu-nationalist party will have to rely on local coalition partners to keep him in government.
Modi and his new cabinet were scheduled to be sworn-in on Saturday, local media reported.
Official election results
Official results released by India’s Election Commission on Wednesday revealed that the National Democratic Alliance secured 294 seats, surpassing the 272-seat threshold needed to secure a majority but far less than earlier projections.
The opposition I.N.D.I.A. alliance, with the Congress party’s Rahul Gandhi as its national face, won over voters and claimed victory on a total of 232 seats. “The poorest of this country have defended the constitution of India,” Rahul Gandhi told a news conference.
The election results are a stunning blow for the 73-year-old Modi, who had hoped for a landslide victory.
This is the first time since Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP swept to power in 2014, it failed to secure a majority victory, on its own, claiming 240 seats — far less than the record 303 seats it secured in the 2019 election.
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.
What now?
Now, Modi will need the support of other parties within his coalition — a surprising setback for the 73-year-old leader, who had anticipated a sweeping victory. During the campaign, Modi had claimed his party would secure around 370 seats, with his allies adding another 30 seats to their tally.
He now relies on crucial allies, such as the Telugu Desam Party in southern Andhra Pradesh state, holding 16 seats, and the Janata Dal (United), which secured 12 seats in eastern Bihar state, alongside smaller groups.
Congress, allies gains ground
The Congress party secured 99 seats, marking an improvement from its previous tally of 52 in the 2019 elections. Noteworthy victories among its key allies include the Samajwadi Party, which won 37 seats in northern Uttar Pradesh state, causing a significant upset for the BJP. Additionally, the All India Trinamool Congress secured 29 seats in West Bengal state, while the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam won 22 seats in southern Tamil Nadu state.
Amid the unexpected decline in BJP support, challengers asserted a victory of their own, with the main opposition Congress party calling the election a “moral and political loss” for Modi.
“This is public’s victory and a win for democracy,” Congress party President Mallikarjun Kharge told reporters.
Modi reiterates economic pledge
Despite the setback, Modi vowed to fulfill his election pledge to elevate India’s economy to the world’s third-largest, advancing from its current fifth position, and remained resolute in pushing forward with his agenda.
He said he would advance India’s defense production, boost jobs for youth, raise exports and help farmers, among other things. He committed to advance India’s defense production, enhance employment opportunities for the youth, increase exports, support farmers, and pursue various other initiatives.
“This country will see a new chapter of big decisions. This is Modi’s guarantee,” he said.
Second only Indian leader to claim third term
Modi’s win was only the second time an Indian leader has retained power for a third term after Jawaharlal Nehru, the country’s first prime minister. Before Modi came to power, India had coalition governments for 30 years.
Since assuming power in 2014, Modi attained massive popularity due to his development and welfare programs mixed with a strident brand of Hindu nationalism in a country where about 80% of the people are Hindus.
During his 10 years in power, Modi has brought Hindu nationalism to the forefront on India’s political landscape, leaving the country deeply divided.
Indian voters shun Modi’s Hindu-nationalist state vision
Indian voters have delivered an unexpected rejection of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and his Hindu nationalist party.
Critics and analysts say that India’s election results indicate the choice of the millions of people who cherish the country’s commitment to secular democracy.
Anjali Mody, a Chennai-based Indian freelance journalist, highlighted the shift in voting patterns in her article “Indian Voters Have Finally Woken Up published in The New York Times.
Modi “will probably remain prime minister for another five-year term. But his spell over voters seems to have been broken, and with it “Hindutva” — the B.J.P.’s project to turn India into a majoritarian Hindu-nationalist state — may have finally hit a roadblock” she wrote.
“Voters in the world’s largest democracy partially rejected Modi’s populist vision for a Hindu-first nation,” said Rhea Mogul in an analysis on CNN.
Sanjay Singh of the opposition-allied Aam Aadmi Party, said that the results showed the people had voted against “hatred and dictatorship.” he said the elections signal a message from the public that “they are tired of the BJP’s 10-year rule and want a change.”
“Indian voters can’t be taken for granted,” said the Times of India newspaper in an editorial. “Voters have clearly indicated that jobs and economic aspirations matter. The economic message from the results is that jobs matter.”