Modi claims victory in Indian election, vows to continue with his agenda despite drop in support

NEW DELHI (AP) — Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared victory Tuesday for his alliance in India's general election, claiming a mandate to push forward with his agenda, even though his party lost seats to a stronger than expected opposition, which pushed back against his mixed economic record and polarising politics.

"Today's victory is the victory of the world's largest democracy," Modi told the crowd at his party's headquarters, saying Indian voters had "shown immense faith" both in his party and his National Democratic Alliance coalition.

Modi's win was only the second time an Indian leader has retained power for a third term after Jawaharlal Nehru, the country's first prime minister.

But also, for the first time since his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party swept to power in 2014, it did not secure a majority on its own, meaning he will need the support of other parties in his coalition — a stunning blow for the 73-year-old, who had hoped for a landslide victory.

The party may now be "heavily dependent on the goodwill of its allies, which makes them critical players who we can expect will extract their pound of flesh, both in terms of policymaking as well as government formation," said Milan Vaishnav, director of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

More than 640 million votes were cast in the marathon election held over a span of six weeks in the world's largest democratic exercise.

In the face of the surprising drop in the BJP's support, challengers claimed they had also won a victory of sorts, with the main opposition Congress party saying the election had been a "moral and political loss" for Modi.

"This is public's victory and a win for democracy," Congress party President Mallikarjun Kharge told reporters.

Despite the setback, Modi pledged to make good on his election promise to turn India's economy into the world's third biggest, from its current fifth place, and not shirk with pushing forward with his agenda.

He said he would advance India's defence production, boost jobs for youth, raise exports and help farmers, among other things.

"This country will see a new chapter of big decisions. This is Modi's guarantee," he said, speaking in the third person.

Many of the Hindu nationalist policies he's instituted over the last 10 years will also remain locked in place.

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

After winning a record 303 seats in 2019, the BJP appeared unlikely to win more than 240, far short of the 272 needed to form a majority government on its own, with 224 seats won and the lead in 16 constituencies and counting ongoing.

Modi's NDA coalition, meantime, was on track to win a combined 286-seat majority, with 263 seats won and leads in 23 races.

The opposition INDIA coalition appeared as if it would win 230 seats.

Final figures were not expected until Wednesday, with counting going late into the night. But congratulations for Modi from leaders of regional countries including neighbouring Nepal and Bhutan flowed in, while the White House commended India for its "vibrant democratic process."

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