MODI DECLARES VICTORY IN CLOSER-THAN-EXPECTED INDIAN ELECTION
BBC – June 4, 2024
How many seats have each party won?
The time is coming up to 23:30 in India (18:00 GMT). Prime Minister Modi’s alliance has met the 272-seat threshold needed to form a government.
Before we pause our live coverage, let’s have a closer look at how the parties in each alliance have done:
According to India’s Electoral Commission, these are the total figures for the NDA (excluding seats they are leading in) as of 23:20 (17:50 GMT):
BJP – 228
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) – 12
Janata Dal (United) – 12
Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) – 5
Janata Dal (Secular) – 12
And here is the latest data showing the opposition INDIA alliance:
Congress – 88
Samajwadi Party – 36
Trinamool Congress – 29
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) – 15
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) – 7
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) – 5
Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) – 4
Communist Party of India (Marxist) – CPI(M) – 4
Shashi Tharoor wins third consecutive election
Some more election results now.
Earlier, Popular Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was confirmed to have won his Thiruvananthapuram seat, in the southern state of Kerala, for a third consecutive time.
Mr Tharoor was in a close fight with BJP’s federal minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar before he took the lead and won by a margin of just over 16,000 votes.
What did Modi say?
We’ve just been hearing from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been addressing supporters at the BJP headquarters in Delhi.
In his speech, he:
- Claimed victory for his alliance, the NDA, who he says will form a government
- Said the number of votes for the BJP doubled in some areas, including in Delhi
- Spoke about the Covid-19 pandemic, taking credit for supporting Indians throughout this period
- Led the crowd the crowd in a chant of “Long live Mother India”, thanking supporters for their blessings
- Promised to “do everything” to eradicate corruption “from the very root” in his third term
- Said he would support the defence sector, young people and farmers
Modi again claims victory for NDA
“We have to take a lot of decisions for the future of India,” Modi says, adding: “This relationship of trust is a big strength of the democracy.”
Modi ends his speech by thanking voters, who he says have given his alliance the chance to serve India for a third time.
Claiming victory for the NDA, he says he is “very grateful” to his fellow countrymen.
Finally, he shouts “long live mother India” – the chant he started his address with.
Modi promises to do everything to eradicate corruption
A significant theme of Modi’s speech is how the country fared during the pandemic, taking credit for supporting Indians throughout this period.
The prime minister also names some of the industries and groups of people he hopes to support in future – including in the defence sector, young people and farmers.
He pledges to bring about a “green industrialisation”, and declares the country is entering a “green era”.
Corruption is another core theme for Modi. He acknowledges it is difficult to eradicate, but promises to “do everything” to get rid of it “from the very root” in his third term.
