The alliance led by the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would win a large majority in the general elections that ended on Saturday, according to polls at the ballot box of the television.
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According to most polls at the ballot box, the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) could obtain a two-thirds majority in the lower house of 543 members, of which 272 are required for the simple majority. A two-thirds majority would allow the government to make far-reaching amendments to the Constitution.
According to a summary of six exit polls, the NDA could get between 355 and 380 seats, a figure that is likely to boost financial markets when they reopen on Monday. The NDA won 353 seats in the 2019 general election, of which the BJP won 303.
The "India" opposition alliance, led by Rahul Gandhi’s Congress Party, was expected to win between 125 and 165 seats.
In his first statements after the end of the vote, Modi claimed victory without referring to exit polls. " I can say with confidence that the people of India have voted in record numbers to reelect the NDA government," he said, without providing evidence of his claim.
Nearly one billion people were eligible to vote in the elections, which were held in seven phases starting on 19 April and in scorching summer heat in many parts of the country. The electoral commission will count the votes on 4 June and the results are expected on the same day.
A 73-year-old Modi victory would make him the second prime minister, following independence leader Jawaharlal Nehru, who achieves three consecutive terms.
Modi began his re-election campaign by focusing on his achievements of the last 10 years, but soon turned mainly against Congress by accusing it of favoring India’s Muslim minority, which the opposition party denies.
The opposition has campaigned mainly around affirmative action programs and to save the Constitution from what they call the dictatorial Modi government, an accusation the BJP denies.