Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has lost its parliamentary majority, delivering a surprising setback to the prime minister and necessitating negotiations with coalition partners to retain power.
As vote counts concluded early Wednesday, it became evident that the expected landslide victory for the BJP had not occurred.
Instead, there was significant resistance against Modi and his Hindu nationalist policies across various regions of India.
The BJP lost 62 seats, reducing its total to 240—short of the 272 needed for a majority.
This marks the first time since Modi’s 2014 election that the BJP has failed to secure an outright majority.
However, combined with its allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the BJP secured approximately 292 seats, sufficient to form a majority government and allow Modi a third term as prime minister.
Meanwhile, the opposition alliance, INDIA, exceeded expectations, winning over 230 seats.
This coalition, comprising more than 20 national and regional parties, united for the first time with the goal of defeating Modi.
In a victory speech at the BJP headquarters in Delhi, Modi insisted he had been given a mandate to lead again.
“I would like to bow down before the people of the country,” said Modi.
“Today is an emotional moment for me personally as well. This was my first election after I lost my mother.”
He added, “The blessings of the people for the third time after 10 years boosts our morale, gives new strength. Our opponents, despite being united, could not even win as many seats as BJP won.”
BJP officials remained adamant about forming the next government, emphasizing their seat count superiority.
“The NDA will form the government for the third time.
Prime Minister Modi will be sworn-in for the third time.
Congress will sit in opposition for the third time,” said BJP spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill, noting that internal “introspection” would occur regarding their losses.
The INDIA coalition, more resilient and successful than many analysts had predicted, was significantly supported by regional parties like the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu.
“We have to credit the opposition alliance for being more politically and electorally savvy than it might have been given credit for,” said Michael Kugelman, director of the Wilson Centre’s South Asia Institute.
Analysts suggest the election results will profoundly impact India’s political landscape.
Modi and the BJP, previously enjoying a strong mandate, now face a more potent opposition. Modi, seen as a popular strongman, has been accused of authoritarianism and suppressing dissent during his decade in office.
Maya Tudor, an associate professor at Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government, remarked, “Particularly in the Hindi heartland, which is the BJP’s core base, voters have not delivered the expected Modi wave.
So relative to expectations, you can read this as a loss for the BJP.”
The election was a significant triumph for the Indian National Congress, the main opposition party, which had dramatically lost the last two elections.
This time, the Congress party more than doubled its seats.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge stated that Modi faced a “moral and political defeat” and announced that the opposition coalition would convene to discuss their next steps.
Mamata Banerjee, head of the Trinamool Congress party, called on Modi to resign.
“These results have shown that Modi has lost all credibility and he should immediately resign,” she said.
The BJP’s campaign, centered around Modi and titled “Modi’s guarantee,” initially focused on infrastructure, welfare programs, and elevating India on the global stage.
However, Modi later resorted to more divisive rhetoric, calling Muslims “infiltrators” and asserting divine selection for his role, while the BJP faced accusations of intimidating political opponents and suppressing Muslim votes.
Analysts noted that the “Modi wave” was hindered by high unemployment and inflation.
Modi will now likely contend with a stronger opposition and may have to adopt a more pragmatic approach due to reliance on coalition partners, some of whom do not share the BJP’s Hindu-first agenda.
One of the most surprising outcomes was the BJP’s significant losses in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, where the INDIA alliance led and several BJP heavyweights lost their seats.
The BJP did, however, achieve a notable victory by winning its first seat in Kerala, a state traditionally opposed to Hindu nationalist politics.
In Modi’s constituency of Varanasi, his victory margin also notably shrank.
