Election in India

Modi proclaims himself the winner before the results

Modi has proclaimed himself the winner.

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/Bikas Das)

After the end of the election in India, the Hindu-nationalist head of government Narendra Modi declared himself the winner even before the results were announced. According to a post-election poll, Modi has secured a third term in office.

"I can confidently say that the people of India have voted in record numbers to re-elect the NDA government," he wrote on the X platform on Saturday evening, without substantiating his claim. 

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is poll-bound to win more than 350 of the total 543 seats in the lower house of parliament, as reported by NDTV on Saturday. This is significantly more than the 272 seats required for a majority.

Result not certain
The largest opposition bloc "INDIA" under the leadership of the Congress Party of Rahul Gandhi - descendant of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, which had provided three heads of government in the country - was predicted to win more than 120 seats. In the past, however, by-election polls in India have often produced incorrect results.

Modi would be only the second Prime Minister of India to win a third term in office. Only Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister since independence from Great Britain in 1947, managed this before him.

Largest election in the world
The election was the largest vote in the world. A good one billion Indians were called upon to elect a new lower house of parliament. Due to its size, the election was held in seven phases and lasted six weeks. The last day of voting was this Saturday. The announcement of the result is scheduled for Tuesday (June 4).

Modi presented himself as a strong man during the election campaign and referred to the robust economic growth that is attracting investors. Under him, the subcontinent has risen to become the fifth largest economic power in the world. Under Modi, India became the fourth country to land on the moon. He is also investing heavily in modern infrastructure such as roads, high-speed trains and airports. But growth is not evenly distributed. Critics pointed to high unemployment and inflation during the election campaign.

What are Modi's plans?
The 73-year-old Modi and his party want to expand their power with the aim of making India a state predominantly for the Hindu majority, which makes up 80 percent of the population. According to observers, the approximately 200 million Muslims and other religious minorities are increasingly becoming second-class citizens. Modi's promise is a radical departure from the vision of the founding fathers of independent India.

Critics and the opposition fear that, if re-elected, Modi's party could attempt to amend the constitution in order to further consolidate this course. It remains to be seen whether the BJP will be able to further expand its majority in parliament.