India's ruling alliance wins parliamentary majority

NEW DELHI

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday claimed victory for the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), terming it a “historical feat” in the history of the South Asian country.

“I bow to the Janata Janardan (People’s verdict) 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 wrote on X in his first remarks since the vote count began earlier in the day.

“I also salute all our Karyakartas (workers) for their hard work. Words will never do justice to their exceptional efforts,” he said.

According to results announced by the Indian Election Commission as of Tuesday night, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 239 seats and was leading in two more in the 543-member lower house of parliament, while the main opposition Indian National Congress got 95 seats and was ahead in another four.

The results showed the NDA alliance was on course to win more than 272 seats, the number required to form the government, while the opposition alliance was set to secure at least 230 seats.

The BJP, however, remained short of the 272-seat majority on its own.

Before voting in the marathon, six-week election kicked off on April 19, Modi's alliance had set a target of 400 seats.