MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar.
India on Monday congratulated Ibrahim Mohamed Solih after he claimed a resounding win the Maldives Presidential polls.
"This election marks not only triumph of democratic forces in Maldives, but also reflects firm commitment to democracy and rule of law. In keeping with our 'Neighbourhood First' Policy, India looks forward to working closely with Maldives in further deepening our partnership", MEA said in a statement.
Opposition leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih won the Maldives' presidential election, results showed Monday, a surprise defeat for President Abdulla Yameen following a campaign observers said was rigged in the strongman's favour.
Results released by the Elections Commission early Monday morning showed Solih had secured 58.3 percent of the popular vote.
Solih had the backing of a united opposition trying to oust Yameen but struggled for visibility with the electorate, with local media fearful of falling afoul of heavy-handed decrees and reporting restrictions.
There were also no other candidates at Sunday's election held with all key dissidents either in jail or exile.
Earlier in the night Solih had called on Yameen to concede defeat once the tally showed he had an unassailable lead.
"I call on Yameen to respect the will of the people and bring about a peaceful, smooth transfer of power," he said on television.
He also urged the incumbent to immediately release scores of political prisoners.
Yameen, who was widely tipped to retain power, had jailed or forced into exile almost all of his main rivals.
Before polls opened, police raided the campaign headquarters of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and searched the building for several hours in a bid to stop what they called "illegal activities". There were no arrests.
Mohamed Nasheed, the head of the MDP, said the vote would "bring the country back to the democratic path".
Maldives has been gripped by political upheaval in recent years. In February the Supreme Court quashed the convictions of nine opposition figures, among them exiled ex-President Mohamed Nasheed, who was ousted from office in 2012.
In February earlier this year, Yameen declared a state of emergency and arrested two supreme court judges as well as former president — his half brother Maumoon Abdul Gayoom — who had joined the opposition. Later, he installed a close ally to head the country’s election commission. In March, lifted the 45-day-long state of emergency in the country which sparked widespread criticism from all parts of the world including the United States, European Union and India.
Following the declartion of emergency in the country, former President Mohamed Nasheed had asked India to send its army and help the country as it did in 1988 during Operation Cactus where it ousted the coup attempt by a group of Maldivians led by Abdullah Luthufi and assisted by armed mercenaries of a Tamil secessionist organisation from Sri Lanka, the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) to oust the then government.
The relations of India and Maldives deteriorated after Prime Minister Narendra Modi cancelled his visit to the archipelago in March 2015, citing political unrest.
India's ties with the Maldives hit rock bottom after President Yameen declared Emergency in the country on February 5, following an order by the country's Supreme Court to release a group of Opposition leaders, who had been convicted in widely criticised trials.
India had criticised the Yameen government for the imposition of the Emergency and urged it to restore the credibility of the electoral and political process by releasing political prisoners.
The Emergency was lifted 45 days later.
In July, India expressed concern over announcement of the presidential election without allowing democratic institutions, including Parliament and the judiciary, to work in a free and transparent manner.
