Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared victory for his party in India’s general election on Tuesday, securing a third term in office by a narrower-than-expected margin. Modi, only the second prime minister to win a third consecutive term, has declared the win “a historical feat in India’s history,” even as his right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) faces losing a significant number of Parliament seats, threatening its governing coalition.
According to early polling results, the BJP and its National Democratic Alliance (the coalition made up of several conservative regional parties) have won 290 of the 543 seats in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Indian Parliament. This fell well short of the 400 seats the coalition had been expected to win, and it also deprived Modi of a single-party majority in Parliament for the first time since he took office in 2014. The BJP on its own claimed 238 of the coalition’s seats—a steep drop-off from the unprecedented 303 seats it held in 2019.
Meanwhile, the rival INDIA alliance, which includes 20 opposition parties united with the Indian National Congress, won 235 seats, far better than expected.
In light of the narrow victory for the BJP, Modi’s governing coalition will now need to scramble for support to secure the 272 seats required to form a functioning government.
Learn the benefits of becoming a Valuetainment Member and subscribe today!
The election in India saw more than 640 million citizens cast their votes over the course of seven weeks, making it the largest democratic election in the world.
“Today’s victory is the victory of the world’s largest democracy,” Modi, 73, told the crowd at his party’s headquarters, thanking voters for their “immense faith” in his party and the National Democratic Alliance.
People have placed their faith in NDA, for a third consecutive time! This is a historical feat in India’s history.
I bow to the Janata Janardan for this affection and assure them that we will continue the good work done in the last decade to keep fulfilling the aspirations of…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 4, 2024
The loss of the coalition’s single-party dominance comes as a significant blow to Modi, who is praised as a larger-than-life leader by his supporters and smeared as a cultish authoritarian by his critics. During his two terms in office, Modi has advanced India’s status internationally and has ambitions to make the country one of the largest economies in the world. However, he has also been accused of advancing divisive “Hundi Nationalist” policies, silencing political opponents, suppressing the media, and campaigning to drive Muslims out of India.
Following Modi’s reelection, the Indian stock market plunged by nearly 6 percent, wiping out significant gains for the national economy.
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
Got a hot scoop or an idea for a story? Connect with the VT writers on Minnect!
Add comment