O Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies won at least 272 out of a total of 543 parliamentary seats, according to results published on the Indian Election Commission’s website, with some constituencies still to be counted. .

The BJP alone won 224 mandates and received the most votes in another 16 constituencies, for an estimated total of 240, remaining, by a large margin, the largest party in parliament, but below the 303 seats achieved in the 2019 elections. .

The Congress Party, the main opposition formation, won 88 parliamentary mandates and came first in 11 more constituencies, for a total estimated at 99, almost double the 52 seats it won five years ago.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already declared victory for his alliance in the Indian general elections, claiming to have won a mandate to advance his agenda, despite the BJP having lost seats to a stronger-than-expected opposition, which opposed its economic record of disparate results and its polarizing policy, centered on rhetoric against Muslims, who make up 14% of the population.

“Today’s victory is the victory of the greatest democracy in the world,” Modi declared to the crowd at BJP headquarters, asserting that Indian voters had “shown enormous faith” in both his party and its coalition, the National Democratic Alliance.

It was only the second time that an Indian leader managed to be elected to a third term, after Jawaharlal Nehru, the country’s first prime minister.

Furthermore, it was the first time since he came to power in 2014 that his party was unable to secure a majority alone, meaning he will need the support of the other parties in his coalition — which represented a surprising setback for the ruler. 73-year-old, who expected a landslide victory.

More than 640 million votes were cast at the polls, in the electoral marathon held over a period of six weeks – the largest democratic exercise in the world.

Faced with falling support for the BJP, the opposition claimed that it had also achieved a victory of sorts, with the main opposition party, the Congress, claiming that the elections were a “moral and political defeat” for Modi.

“This is a victory for the people and a victory for democracy”, declared the president of the Congress Party, Mallikarjun Kharge, to the media.

Despite the setback, Modi committed to fulfilling his electoral promise to transform India’s economy, the third largest in the world, and not to shy away from implementing his program.

He stated that it will boost India’s Defense industry, promote employment for the youth, increase exports and help farmers, among other things.

“This country will witness a new chapter of great decisions. This is Modi’s guarantee”, he stressed, speaking in the third person.

Many of the Hindu nationalist policies that Modi has instituted over the past ten years will also remain in place.

Before Modi came to power, India had coalition governments for 30 years.

During his decade as prime minister, Modi altered India’s political landscape, transforming Hindu nationalism, once a fringe ideology in the country, into the mainstream, leaving the country deeply divided.

His supporters consider him a strong leader, who rose through the ranks and improved India’s position in the world; Critics and opponents claim that his Hindu politics have generated intolerance in the country and that the economy, one of the fastest growing in the world, has become more unequal.

Under Modi’s leadership, his detractors maintain that Indian democracy is under increasing pressure, with strong-arm tactics being used to subdue political opponents, crush independent media and silence dissent. — accusations rejected by his Government, which claims that democracy is flourishing in the country.

Discontent with the economy has also been increasing under Modi: despite stock markets reaching historic highs, youth unemployment has soared, with only a small proportion of Indians benefiting from economic growth and the rest struggling with unemployment, the inflation and inequality.

Also Read: Indian Prime Minister claims victory in general elections

Source: https://www.noticiasaominuto.com/mundo/2574523/modi-e-aliados-venceram-eleicoes-na-india

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