Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bhartiya Janata Party has won the maximum number of seats but short fall of securing a majority. In India, there are 543 seats in the lower house and "272" is the magical number to claim a majority. Although the Saffron party has secured a large chunk of votes, the results were not as per the expectations claimed by PM Modi and the exit polls of nearly all media outlets. Ever since the election campaign started, the BJP boasted of securing 400 seats. It coined "abki bar 400 par" (This time, we will win more than 400 seats). However, the slogan does not pass to the voters, at least in Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP was pretty sure to register a majority of Lok Sabha seats.
As the world's most populous democracy voted in the seven phases from April 20 to June 1, the world media covered it extensively. Let's have a look at how world media, including Pakistan's Dawn, the UK's BBC, Qatar-based Al Jazeera and the US's New York Times.
"India election vote count shows Modi alliance heading to majority but no landslide"- Pakistan-based Dawn news portal has published a long article with this headline.
While the Chinese mouthpiece, Global Times, has published an opinion with a header- "Can the dragon and the elephant dance together?". Here, the dragon stands for China whereas "the elephant" stands for India.
CNN, an American broadcaster and news website, has published with header- "Modi facing shock result".
Meanwhile, Qatar-based Al Jazeera wrote- "Modi-led BJP loses majority in big setback".
New York Times, an American media, wrote- "India’s Election Results Suggest a Setback for Modi" as its header.
RT News, a Russian media outlet, described "Indian election surprise as opposition rises to challenge Modi" as its lead.
Nearly 970 million people — more than 10% of the world’s population — were eligible to vote and turnout averaged 66%, according to official data. The tallying at counting centres in 543 constituencies could stretch well into the evening before final results are announced, though substantial leads are likely to emerge earlier.
What Modi says after winning Varanasi constituency
PM Modi says his coalition is on the path to a third straight term in government after India’s marathon election. "People have placed their faith in NDA, for a third consecutive time! This is a historical feat in India’s history," Modi said in a post on X, referring to the National Democratic Alliance headed by his party. He said he will continue to work and fulfil the aspirations of the people.
As Modi posted his comment, his coalition had won 128 seats and led in 157 races, according to the Election Commission. A total of 272 seats are needed to form a majority government.
How India's Opposition party, INDIA, reacts
India’s opposition Congress party has called its alliance’s strong showing in the polls a “win for democracy” and a “moral and political loss” for PM Modi. Congress party President Mallikarjun Kharge told a news conference in New Delhi that because no party had a clear majority, the mandate was against Modi. “Our fight has not ended yet. We will continue to fight for the country’s development, for the constitution, for the benefit of the people,” Kharge said.
Modi’s coalition led in a majority of seats Tuesday in India’s general election, according to early figures, but faced a stronger challenge from the opposition than expected.
Rahul Gandhi, the face of the Congress party’s campaign, said the results showed India does not want Modi. “People’s clear message to PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah is that we don’t want you to run the nation,” Gandhi said. “The poorest of this country have defended the constitution of India.”
(With inputs from agency)
