India’s Modi’s likely to win elections but without expected landslide majority
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s coalition won most seats in Tuesday’s general election, according to partial figures.
However, the opposition faced a stronger challenge than expected after it resisted the leader’s mixed economic record and polarizing politics.
According to an ongoing count, his Hindu nationalist party appeared unlikely to secure a majority on its own despite pre-election hopes of a landslide victory, but Modi was still expected to be elected to a third five-year term in the world’s largest democratic exercise.
If that trend holds, it would be a stunning blow for the 73-year-old leader, who has never been in a position where he has needed to rely on his coalition partners to govern.
The counting of over 640 million votes cast over six weeks was set to take all day, and early figures could change.
His supporters see him as a self-made, strong leader who has improved India’s standing in the world.
Critics and opponents of Modi contend that his Hindu-centric politics have fueled intolerance, coinciding with a widening economic inequality in India, which, as the world’s fifth-largest economy and one of the fastest-growing, faces significant challenges.
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