PM Narendra Modi’s first reaction to Lok Sabha election results: ‘Historical feat…’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday, June 4, people have placed their faith in the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance for a third time in the Lok Sabha elections and that he would continue the good work done in the last decade to keep fulfilling their aspirations.
Reacting to the general election results 2024 for the first time on Tuesday, Narendra Modi said, “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 people,” Modi wrote on X (formally Twitter).
“I also salute all our Karyakartas for their hard work. Words will never do justice to their exceptional efforts,” he added.
The Bharatiya Janata Party appeared unlikely to secure a majority on its own, according to an ongoing vote count showed, despite exit polls predicted a landslide victory for the saffron party. However, Modi is still expected to be elected to a third five-year term in the world’s largest democratic exercise.
If that trend holds, it would be a stunning blow for the 73-year-old leader, who has never been in a position where he has needed to rely on his coalition partners to govern.
The counting of more than 640 million votes cast over six weeks was set to take all day, and early figures could change.
In his 10 years in power, Narendra Modi has transformed India’s political landscape, bringing Hindu nationalism into the mainstream.
Modi’s supporters see him as a self-made, strong leader who has improved India’s standing in the world. His critics and opponents say his Hindu-first politics have bred intolerance, and while the economy, the world’s fifth-largest and one of the fastest-growing, has become more unequal.
Some 10 hours into counting, partial tallies reported by the Election Commission of India showed the Bharatiya Janata Party was ahead in 196 constituencies and had won 45, including one uncontested, of 543 parliamentary seats. The Congress led in 83 constituencies and had won 15.
A total of 272 seats are needed for a majority. In 2019, the BJP won 303 seats, while they secured 282 in 2014 when Modi first came to power.
Exit polling from the weekend had projected the NDA to win more than 350 seats. Indian markets, which had hit an all-time high on Monday, closed sharply down Tuesday, with benchmark stock indices — the NIFTY 50 and the BSE Sensex — both down by more than 5%.