Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday welcomed the Lok Sabha election results, describing them as a victory for India. Amit Shah, the president of the victorious Bharatiya Janata Party, said the results were the people’s mandate against the Opposition’s propaganda and lies.
Final results have not been declared yet, but the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance looks set for a landslide victory. At 3.15 pm, the party had won one seat and was ahead in 300 of the 542 Lok Sabha seats that voted in April and May across seven phases, according to Election Commission data. The Congress was ahead in only 50 seats.
“Sabka Saath + Sabka Vikas + Sabka Vishwas [everyone’s development while taking everyone along, and everyone’s faith] = Victorious India,” Modi tweeted as he seemed set to win a second term as prime minister. “Together we grow. Together we prosper. Together we will build a strong and inclusive India. India wins yet again!”
Amit Shah tweeted: “This result is India’s mandate against the propaganda, lies, personal attacks and baseless politics. Today’s results also show that India’s public has chosen development and nationalism and rejected casteism, nepotism and appeasement.”
Earlier in the day, Home Minister Rajnath Singh had praised the role of Modi’s “visionary leadership”, Shah’s “dynamism” and the “hard work” of BJP workers on the ground. Singh’s Cabinet colleague Sushma Swaraj was the first to tweet about the early trends that showed the BJP ahead. She thanked Modi for helping the party win so massively.
Modi was ahead of his closest opponent in the Varanasi seat by 3.85 lakh votes at 3.15 pm, while Shah was leading in Gandhinagar by 5.27 lakh votes. Rajnath Singh was leading in Lucknow by 2.65 lakh votes. Swaraj did not contest the elections.
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