Modi-Led Coalition Poised to Take Office in India with Smaller Win than Anticipated
Geo-political observers are analyzing the impact of the election on India’s global strength. The national elections in India have not resulted in any single political party achieving an absolute majority. However, preliminary results indicate a victory for the incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi, albeit without the overwhelming mandate he had anticipated.
The counting of votes began on Tuesday morning, with final results yet to be declared. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is expected to form the next government. The NDA, under the leadership of Mr. Modi’s Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), is leading in 295 out of 543 seats in the 18th Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament.
The BJP has emerged as the largest winner, securing leads and victories in 240 seats, while the Indian National Congress (INC) is the second largest with nearly 100 victories and leads. The INC leads the INDIA alliance (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) in 233 seats.
To form a government, an Indian political party or alliance needs a simple majority of 50 percent, which is 272 seats in the upcoming parliament. In the previous elections in 2019, the BJP won 224 out of 303 seats, securing more than 50 percent of the total national vote share.
Following the BJP’s inability to replicate this performance in 2024, the INDIA alliance called on Mr. Modi, who has been serving as India’s Prime Minister since 2014, to take accountability for his party’s performance and step down.
In a social media post, INC general secretary Jairam Ramesh suggested that Mr. Modi should take “moral responsibility” for the BJP’s loss of seats and resign.
However, during a speech at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday evening, Mr. Modi expressed gratitude to the Indian public for re-electing the NDA for a third consecutive term.
Experts believe that despite the mixed verdict, Mr. Modi’s influence as a global leader will continue, and India’s foreign policy should remain consistent. According to Aparna Pande, a Research Fellow at the Hudson Institute, Mr. Modi’s reputation will remain intact despite his party’s reduced majority.
Dr. Kaush Arha, the president of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific Forum, dismissed concerns about threats to Indian democracy as exaggerated, emphasizing the importance of a strong opposition for a healthy democracy.
Regarding foreign policy, experts predict that the NDA coalition’s approach will remain largely unchanged. Vice Admiral (Rtd.) Shekhar Sinha, the Chairman of the Trustee Board of India Foundation, believes that India’s stance on border issues with Pakistan and China will stay consistent despite political changes.
