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?
The Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is declared the clear victor of the latest Indian general election.