India's prime minister Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday was confirmed as the winner of general elections by a landslide.

Modi has won 290 seats out of a total 542, 18 more than the 272 seats needed to secure an absolute majority. The BJP is also leading in another 13 constituencies. </s> Prime Minister Narendra Modi looked on course Thursday for a major victory in India's election, with early trends from the election commission showing a clear lead for his party.

[New Delhi] Prime Minister Narendra Modi looked on course Thursday for a major victory in India's election, with early trends from the election commission showing a clear lead for his party.

Mr Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was ahead in 277 out of the 542 constituencies after two hours of counting, more than the 272 seats required for a majority even without its allies. </s> NEW DELHI (AP) — The Latest on India's general elections results (all times local): With nearly all constituencies reporting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist party have won a majority in India's general election. The Election Commission of India reports that the Bharatiya Janata Party won 287 out of the 525 constituencies in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, as of early Friday. The party's top rival, the Indian National Congress led by Rahul Gandhi, won 50 seats, and the All India Trinamool Congress led by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee won 19 seats. The final results are not in for the remaining 42 seats.

Vote counting of the estimated 600 million ballots cast in the world's largest democratic exercise began early Thursday. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has congratulated his Indian counterpart for success in a massive general election. With early election results showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist party with a commanding lead, Khan tweeted Thursday that he looked forward to working with Modi "for peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia."

Pakistan and India have a history of bitter relations. The two nuclear-armed rivals were close to a major conflict in February when Indian aircraft launched a strike in Pakistan in response to a Feb. 14 suicide bombing in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir that killed 40 troops. India blamed the bombing on Pakistan-based militants. Pakistan retaliated by shooting down a fighter jet the next day and detaining its pilot, who was later returned to India. Since then tension has eased between them.

Indian National Congress president Rahul Gandhi has conceded his parliamentary seat to his rival from the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has claimed a decisive victory in India's general election. Election Commission results showed BJP textiles minister Smriti Irani was ahead by 38,000 votes in Amethi, a longtime Gandhi family bastion in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Gandhi, the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family dynasty, also congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for their win in official counting Thursday. </s> NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party claims it has won re-election with commanding lead in vote count. </s> NEW DELHI — The Latest on India’s general elections results (all times local):

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party have a commanding lead in early vote counting from the country’s six-week general election.

Election Commission data show the Bharatiya Janata Party leading in contests for 300 out of 542 seats in Parliament, with the Congress party ahead in 50 contests.

India’s marathon elections concluded on Sunday. The count that started Thursday was expected to conclude by the evening.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist party are building on their lead in the latest results from India’s general elections.

Election Commission data show the Bharatiya Janata Party is leading in contests for 269 out of 542 seats, with its main rival, the Indian National Congress, ahead in 56 contests.

India’s marathon elections staggered over six weeks concluded on Sunday. The count that started Thursday was expected to conclude by the evening.

Crowds gathered in New Delhi to watch the results come on big LED screens at Connaught Place.

Mechanical engineer Mohammad Shamshad said it was too early to call it for BJP, adding “it’s like a cricket match, anyone can win.”

Early results are showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist party in the lead in India’s general elections.

Election Commission data showed the Bharatiya Janata Party leading in contests for 229 seats, with its main rival, the Indian National Congress, ahead in 56 contests.

The count that started Thursday was expected to conclude by the evening. In the world’s largest democratic exercise, some 900 million people were registered to cast ballots for 542 seats in India’s lower house of Parliament in seven phases of voting staggered over six weeks.

A party or coalition needs a simple majority, or 272 seats, to govern.

Indian election officials have begun counting votes that were cast in the country’s mammoth general elections.

The count began Thursday morning and was expected to conclude by the evening. Voters cast ballots on some 40 million electronic voting machines.

Half a dozen exit polls showed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party remaining in power for another five years.

In the world’s largest democratic exercise, some 900 million people were registered to cast ballots for 542 seats in India’s lower house of Parliament in seven phases of polling staggered over six weeks.

The election has been seen as a referendum on Modi, whose economic reforms broadly haven’t succeeded but whose popularity as a social underdog in India’s highly stratified society has endured.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> सबका साथ + सबका विकास + सबका विश्वास = विजयी भारत Together we grow. Together we prosper. Together we will build a strong and inclusive India. India wins yet again! #VijayiBharat, tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi after it became clear that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance had decimated the opposition in Lok Sabha election 2019 with a bigger mandate than the last general election five years ago.

Within 10 minutes of Modi’s post, it was retweeted over 20,000 times and liked by over 44,000 people. Modi had on May 16, 2014, tweeted “India has won! भारत की विजय। अच्छे दिन आने वाले हैं।” after the BJP-led NDA had secured a big majority in the Lok Sabha election.

Bidding for the second term as the Prime Minister of India, Modi led an aggressive election campaign, focussing on a muscular national security policy, targeting dynastic politics, and seeking mandate for a corruption-free government.

When the opposition tried to hit with with the “chowkidar chor hai” barb, the Prime Minister turned it into a potent weapon and changed his twitter handle to Chowkidar Narendra Modi. Within a few minutes, all the BJP leaders and supporters on Twitter had added chowkidar to their Twitter profile.

The BJP alone is leading in 300 seats while the NDA is ahead in 349 constituencies. The BJP is the first party to return to power at the Centre after completing the full five-year term after the Congress managed the feat in 1967.

It is also the first time after the 1984 Lok Sabha election that a party has managed to breach the 300-seat mark in a Lok Sabha election. The 1984 Lok Sabha election had seen the Congress winning 414 seats, the maximum a party has won in a general election. </s> NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India’s ruling party was leading on Monday but was short of an outright majority as votes were counted from an election in a big southern state seen as a gauge of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity ahead of general elections next year.

Karnataka, currently ruled by the Congress party, is home to the technology hub of Bengaluru. It is the first major state electing an assembly this year and will be followed by three more.

Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party was leading in 95 seats in the elections to the 225-seat state assembly, versus 77 for Congress, the Times Now news channel said. Another channel, CNN News 18, showed the BJP leading in 104 seats and Congress in 60.

The BJP now rules 21 of India’s 29 states.

A regional group, Janata Dal (Secular) together with smaller ally the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), was leading in 41 seats and is likely to play kingmaker if no party emerges a clear winner.

Janata Dal leader H.D. Deve Gowda said his party would decide its position “once all the results are out”, CNN News 18 quoted the former Indian prime minister as saying.

Investors are watching the contest closely as they worry a loss for Modi would force him to double down on populist measures, such as extending farm loan waivers a year before the 2019 elections.

India’s benchmark NSE Index extended gains to nearly 1 percent as the BJP improved its tally.

If Modi failed to capture Karnataka, a state of 66 million people, that would re-energize Congress under Rahul Gandhi, the fifth-generation scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that is trying to exploit dissatisfaction over a lack of jobs for young people and rising fuel prices.

Both Gandhi and Modi addressed rallies across the state to drum up support. </s> Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed victory in the country's general election on Thursday, as early vote counts showed his Bharatiya Janata Party on course for a significant win.

Early data from the nation's Electoral Commission showed the BJP led in contests for 269 of the 542 seats in Parliament, while its rival party, the Indian National Congress, was winning just 56.

"Together we grow. Together we prosper. Together we will build a strong and inclusive India. India wins yet again!" Modi wrote in announcing his victory on .

More than 900 million people were eligible to vote in the mammoth six-week election, casting their votes on approximately 40 million electronic voting machines, according to the Associated Press.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan congratulated Modi on his election win, saying he was looking forward to "working with him for peace, progress and prosperity."

Although tensions between India and Pakistan in the disputed region of Kashmir dominated the build-up to the election, Modi's victory could lead to a new dialogue between the two countries, according to Chatham House senior research fellow Dr. Gareth Price.

"Despite a large part of the BJP campaign being predicated on projecting strength against Pakistan, ironically over the next few months – terrorist attacks notwithstanding – one of the occasional windows of opportunity for talks with Pakistan has opened up," Price told ABC News. "Political insecurity in one or both countries has undermined previous attempts at rapprochement. For now, at least, both governments have the legitimacy to engage with the other.”

Modi's projection of a strong Hindu identity for India, as well as emphasis on economic growth, played a crucial role in his victory, Price said. But Price said this could end up being problematic.

“The BJP’s narrative clearly resonated with voters across northern India," he told ABC News. "That is that India should be strong economically and militarily and proud of its Hindu-ness. This has implications for minorities, in particular Muslims. However, some of the policies mooted by the BJP for electoral purposes may come back to haunt it -- in particular, the National Citizens Register, which, if followed through, could create millions of stateless people.” </s> Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has won re-election and his party performed well in parliamentary elections. What does his victory signal about the world's most populous democracy? </s> NEW DELHI/AYODHYA (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi scored a dramatic election victory on Thursday, putting his Hindu nationalist party on course to increase its majority on a mandate of business-friendly policies and a tough stand on national security.

His re-election reinforces a global trend of right-wing populists sweeping to victory, from the United States to Brazil and Italy, often after adopting harsh positions on protectionism, immigration and defense.

Official data from the Election Commission showed Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party ahead in 302 of the 542 seats up for grabs, up from the 282 it won in 2014 and more than the 272 seats needed for a majority in the lower house of parliament.

That would give his party the first back-to-back majority for a single party since 1984. Votes will be fully counted by Friday morning.

Modi was showered with rose petals by some of the thousands of cheering supporters who waited for hours in a thunderstorm for his arrival at party headquarters on Thursday evening.

“Whatever happened in these elections is in the past, we have to look ahead. We have to take everyone forward, including our staunchest opponents,” he said in a televised address.

He was critical of the many people that doubted the BJP could increase its majority.

“The political pundits of India have to leave behind their ideas of the past,” he added.

CHALLENGES AWAIT

Modi has slashed red tape in the world’s fifth-largest economy, though some overseas firms, including Amazon, Walmart and Mastercard, have complained about policies they say are designed to benefit domestic rivals.

He will face demands to provide jobs for the tens of millions of young people coming on to the market in the next few years and to boost depressed farm incomes.

“The immediate challenges are to address employment, the issue of agricultural income and revive the banking sector,” said Madan Sabnavis, chief economist at Care Ratings in Mumbai.

But making good on his promise of unity will be difficult as the BJP campaign was often divisive, and India’s Muslim minority has expressed fears that policies aimed at pleasing the Hindu majority could imperil their livelihoods.

Modi’s pledge of a strong stand against a separatist movement in Muslim-majority Kashmir has fueled tension with nuclear-armed rival Pakistan, although its prime minister, Imran Khan, congratulated Modi on his win.

“Look forward to working with him for peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia,” Khan added on Twitter.

Besides a harder line on national security, BJP members will look to Modi for progress on a project to building a Hindu temple on the site of a mosque demolished by Hindu zealots in the northern holy town of Ayodhya in 1992.

“I want Modi to finish terrorism from Kashmir (and) make Pakistan bite the dust again and again,” said Shekhar Chahal, a BJP worker from the capital, New Delhi.

“I am confident that Modi will also make the temple in Ayodhya.”

The NDA’s predicted margin of victory, at 351 seats versus 93 for the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, according to broadcaster NDTV, far exceeds survey forecasts in the run-up to the vote.

Among the winners for the BJP was a Hindu ascetic accused of plotting a bomb attack on Muslims.

Most polls indicated a victory for Modi’s alliance but expected it to fall short of an overall majority.

(Click HERE reut.rs/2VXBoxz for graphic of live updates of election results)

SECURITY SWING

Modi was under pressure when he began campaigning, losing three state elections in December amid rising anger over farm prices and unemployment.

Supporters of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) celebrate after learning of initial poll results in Chandigarh, India, May 23, 2019. REUTERS/Ajay Verma

However, campaigning shifted toward India’s relationship with Pakistan after a suicide bomber killed 40 Indian police in February in the Himalayan region of Kashmir claimed by both countries.

Modi ordered an air strike on what India said was a militant training camp on the Pakistani side of the border, a tough response that benefited the right-wing BJP, analysts said.

While Pakistan has signaled a willingness to open talks with India, it also displayed its military might, with the test of a surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a range of up to 1,500 miles (2,400 km).

The BJP has also capitalized the star power of Modi, a frenetic campaigner, as well as its superior financial resources.

It outspent Congress by six times on Facebook and Google advertising, data showed, and by as much as 20 times overall, sources told Reuters this month.

The main opposition Congress party was ahead in just 52 seats, but its leader Rahul Gandhi, twice defeated in general elections by Modi, refused to rule out resigning as party chief in a brief televised news conference.

Gandhi, whose father, grandmother and great-grandfather all served as prime minister, lost to the BJP candidate in the northern constituency of Amethi the family has held almost continuously for the last four decades.

But he was leading in the southern constituency from which he is also running for parliament.

“The Congress party has not been able to improve at all,” said Rahul Verma, a fellow at the center for Policy Research in New Delhi.

“One big story is the emerging challenge for the Congress to remain a national alternative to the BJP. That now is under question.”

STRONG LEADER

In the populous northern state of Uttar Pradesh, which sends the largest number of lawmakers to parliament, the BJP was leading in 60 of the 80 seats in the fray, out in front of a powerful alliance of caste-based parties campaigning to improve rural conditions.

“After the air strike on Pakistan, almost all these important issues started fading and farmers decided to cast their ballot for the BJP,” said Raghubar Das, 55, who grows rice and wheat on the outskirts of Ayodhya, which many devout Hindus believe to be the birthplace of the God-king Rama.

Slideshow (15 Images)

“Mind you, they didn’t vote for the BJP, they voted for Modi. Everyone loves a strong a leader.”

The party also won seats in several states where it has long struggled, including West Bengal, where it took on the Trinamool Congress, a powerful regional party. Data showed it leading in 19 of 42 seats, surpassing the two it won in 2014, data showed.

Investors welcomed Modi’s victory, hoping his government will push through reforms.

Indian stocks surged more than 5 percent this week to hit record highs on Thursday, but the euphoria fizzled quickly, with stocks and the rupee ending the day weaker, as the focus returned to a faltering economy.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is declared the clear victor of the latest Indian general election.