India’s Modi claims 3rd consecutive win for ruling alliance in general elections

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday claimed victory for the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), terming it a “historical feat” in the history of the South Asian country.

“I bow to the Janata Janardan (People’s verdict) 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 in his first remarks since the vote count began on Tuesday.

“I also salute all our Karyakartas (workers) for their hard work. Words will never do justice to their exceptional efforts,” he said.

According to the Indian Election Commission as of 6:55 p.m. local time (1325GMT), the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party won 93 and was leading in 146 seats, while the opposition Indian National Congress won 38 and was leading in 61 seats in the 543-member lower house of parliament.

The trends, however, show that the NDA is crossing the 272-seat mark to form the government.