He claimed victory and the "historic" mandate to govern India for the third consecutive time , but before expressing himself and thanking the voters , Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi let almost the entire day of the official election results pass, remaining silent . He decided to do it only in the evening, first on X, then in the meeting with the militants gathered in the BJP headquarters.
His party won the elections but with heavy losses, both compared to 2019 and compared to expectations before. Almost at the end of the counting, the official results give the prime minister's NDA alliance with 292 seats, and the opposition India front with 232, 45% and 41% respectively. Almost a head-to-head that apparently Modi and his party really didn't expect. How did they not expect that the BJP would stop at just 239 seats, losing 64 compared to 2019, while Raul Gandhi's Congress rose to 100 seats, gaining 48.
To form the government in India it is necessary for a single party, or an alliance, to have at least 272 out of the 543 total seats in Parliament.
Modi was applauded, but the disappointment was evident. Not only did the BJP fail to break through in the south of the country, where it has never been present, but it lost sensationally in the central area, its traditional stronghold, known as the "Hindi belt".
As so many commentators on talk shows across the media have pointed out, voters have demonstrated that they are concerned about inflation and unemployment. And they did not appreciate Modi's campaign, entirely based on triumphalist tones and on the objective of 400 seats, increasingly exasperated and divisive, with repeated attacks on the Muslim community. Modi called for a plebiscite in a country where undeniable economic growth suffers from stark inequalities, he told many lies, he used government agencies to silence his opponents.
(Unioneonline/D)
