Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Thursday stormed back to power with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) set to win over 300 seats on its own.
Narendra Modi is the only leader after former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi to return as country's top leader with a majority. In his victory speech at the party headquarters where over 20,000 workers were invited, PM Modi thanked the country for entrusting him with the responsibility of leading India again.
"We are coming back with a bigger mandate, but with a bigger mandate, our responsibility is also bigger," he said, adding for a prosperous India, we will have to take everyone along.
The voting was staggered between April 11 and May 19 in which around 67 per cent of the nearly 900 million eligible people exercised their franchise to elect 542 members of the Lok Sabha from a total of 8,049 contestants.
Below are the LIVE updates:
9:18 pm: Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi has won her seat from Rae Bareli by a margin of over 1,67,178 votes. She defeated BJP's Dinesh Pratap Singh.
8:35: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has concluded his address with "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" chants.
8:29 pm: I will never do anything with a bad intention because the country has once again reposed faith in me, says PM Modi, adding he has never done anything for himself.
8:27 pm: "We have to take everybody along. Despite such a huge mandate, we have to respect the constitution" says PM Modi.
8:22 pm: "If we pledge to rid the country of all the problems, 130 crore people can take this country to new heights," says PM Modi. "We have to accept this victory with humility."
8:19 pm: "The people of the country have put forward a new narrative. There are just two castes in the country now. There is one that wants to come out of poverty, and the other that wants to rid the country of poverty," says Modi.
8:15 pm: These elections are approval and acceptance of honesty, says PM Modi. "No political party could deceive the country in the veil of secularism," says PM Modi.
8:09 pm: This is the 21st century, this is a new India. "It's the victory of those who were once deprived of proper healthcare," he said.
8:06: "The Bharatiya Janata Party is dedicated to the constitution. It's dedicated to the federal structure of this country," says PM Modi, adding he is proud of party workers. "Every party workers deserves credit for this victory," he says.
8:05 pm: "Its the victory of democracy and people," says PM Modi.
8:00 pm: "I thank and congratulate Election Commission, security forces and others who ensured proper elections across the country," he said.
7:57 pm: The world will have to recognise the power of India's democracy, says Narendra Modi.
7:56 pm: The country has filled this beggar's bag with love today, says Narendra Modi.
7:54 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing party workers as the "Modi-Modi" chants fill the air at party headquarters in Delhi.
7:53 pm: "Even after so much violence and rigging, BJP won 18 seats in West Bengal. It tells that in coming days, BJP will establish its might in West Bengal," says Shah.
7:51 pm: Narendra Modi has won from Varanasi by a margin of over 4,50,000 votes.
7:47 pm: Narendra Modi is the superhero of BJP's super victory, says Shah.
7:41 pm: "In Uttar Pradesh, when SP-BSP came together, people asked what will happen now? In UP, the BJP has won more than 60 states," says Shah.
7:37 pm: In at least 17 states, the people have given us over 50% votes. "It's a humongous victory. On the other hand, Congress has drawn a blank in 17 states," Shah said.
7:34 pm: BJP president Amit Shah is currently addressing the people present at the party headquarters. He has thanked the party workers. "After the independence, this BJP's biggest victory under the leadership of Narendra Modi," he said.
7:33 pm: Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu has resigned.
7:29 pm: Narendra Modi and Amit Shah take the stage, show victory signs and now the prime minister will address party workers.
7:18 pm: BJP president Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are greeting party workers and showing victory signs at the party headquarters. Home Minister Rajnath Singh and former Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chohan are also present.
7:13 pm: PM Narendra Modi has reached the party headquarters. Amit Shah welcomes him.
7:07 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address party workers at BJP headquarters in New Delhi shortly.
6:44 pm: I want to congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi on such a huge victory. "People have reposed faith in us once again, and it's big responsibility on us now," he said.
6:34 pm: Calling the Lok Sabha election results "unexpected", Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said the leaders of his party JD(S) and Congress would deliberate on the reasons behind the defeat in the election.
As the BJP badly mauled the ruling coalition, Kumaraswamy conceded defeat and said he respected the mandate of the people.
6:11 pm: "The word ‘Chowkidar’ goes from my Twitter name but it remains an integral part of me. Urging you all to do the same too!" tweets Prime Minister Narendra Modi
6:08 pm: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has also congratulated the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She said she respects the decision of the electorate.
5:54 pm: Rahul also asked his party workers not to be scared. "Our fight is for our ideology, we will make a comeback," he said.
5:51 pm: "I also congratulate Smriti Irani on her victory in Amethi. I request her to take care of the people of Amethi," he said, adding "Amethi has reposed faith in her."
5:50 pm: "I congratulate Narendra Modi on his victory. I thank all the Congress workers. The battle between the Congress and the BJP is of ideology, but we have to accept that it's the BJP and Modi's victory," he said.
5:46 pm: Congress President Rahul Gandhi is going to address a press conference.
5:26 pm: The RSS has reacted to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s massive victory in the Lok Sabha elections, saying, "This is a triumph of national forces."
5:21 pm: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has congratulated his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on his victory in the Lok Sabha elections 2019.
"I congratulate Prime Minister Modi on the electoral victory of BJP and allies. Look forward to working with him for peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia," he tweeted.
5:17 pm: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has won from Hyderabad.
5:15 pm: Former chief minister of Delhi Shiela Dikshit has lost to Bharatiya Janata Party's Manoj Tiwari. Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi has won her seat from Rae Bareli.
5:02 pm: Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina has sent a congratulatory message to her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on his victory in the elections, wishing peace, happiness and prosperity for the people of India.
4:58 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy on his party's thunderous victory in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Modi also congratulated Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik who is set to be the state chief minister for another term.
4:51 pm: The Union Cabinet will meet tomorrow evening to recommend the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha.
After the Cabinet's recommendation is passed in the form of a resolution, President Ram Nath Kovind will dissolve the present Lok Sabha, the term of which is ending on June 3.
The 17th Lok Sabha has to be constituted before June 3 and the process to form a new House will be initiated when the three Election Commissioners meet the President in the next few days to hand over the list of newly-elected members.
4:00 pm: BJP veteran LK Advani congratulates PM Narendra Modi for party's unprecedented victory in elections, praises Amit Shah.
"Heartiest congratulations to Narendrabhai Modi for steering BJP towards this unprecedented victory in elections. Amitbhai Shah as BJP President and all dedicated workers of the party have put in enormous effort in making sure that BJP's message reaches every voter," said Advani.
3:50 pm: BJP President Amit Shah arrives at party Headquarters, welcomed by party workers, as the party is set for a landmark win.
(Photo: Jitender Gupta/Outlook)
3:40 pm: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who seemed headed for a win from Thiruvananthapuram, said he feels like a batsman who has scored a century while his team has lost.
Tharoor's remarks came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi led his Bharatiya Janata Party towards what looks set to be a resounding victory for a second term in office.
3:24 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has won from Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi has won from Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala.
3:20 pm: Naveen Patnaik has continued his vice-like grip over Odisha with his party, BJD, leading in 106 seats in the 147-member House and himself set to become the chief minister for the fifth consecutive term.
In the Lok Sabha elections, which were held simultaneously with the Assembly polls, BJD is leading in 13 Lok Sabha constituencies out of 21 while BJP is ahead on 8 seats.
3:00 pm: In Madhya Pradesh, the Congress is leading on just one seat whereas the BJP is ahead on 22 seats. Even as that may be the case for Lok Sabha, the Kamal Nath-led state government has other reasons to worry.
2:50 pm: BJP president Amit Shah tweeted on the party's massive surge, and said "Results are India's mandate against opposition's lies, personal attacks, disinformation; people rejected dynasty, casteism, appeasement.
2:40 pm: As the election results so far show a clear win for the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted saying "India wins yet again!"
2:30 pm: Actor-turned-politician Prakash Raj, who is losing from Bengaluru Central, in a tweet apparently described the results as "a solid slap on my face".
He also said: "his resolve to fight for secular India will continue".
2:20 pm: Cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir, who is making his electoral debut from East Delhi constituency, was leading by a margin over 1.61 lakh votes. Gambhir is locked in a contest with Congress' Arvinder Singh Lovely and AAP's Atishi.
2:10 pm: The BJP has won on 31 seats while the NDA maintains a lead in 314 other seats. The Congress won 2 seats so far whereas the UPA maintains a lead in 91 other seats.
1:50 pm: Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu congratulates Prime Minister Narendra Modi, says, "will continue to strengthen our friendship between India and Israel".
1:15 pm: The AAP has congratulated the BJP for its victory, as the party is set to sweep the Lok Sabha polls, and said it hopes that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would do "good work" in his future tenure.
1:10 pm: NC President Farooq Abdullah takes an unassailable lead of 55,000 votes in Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency over PDP candidate Aga Mohsin: Election officials
1:05 pm: National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah on Thursday congratulated the BJP and the NDA for its "stellar performance" in the Lok Sabha polls.
The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah for putting together a winning alliance and a professional campaign.
1:00 pm: In Maharashtra, former home minister and Congress leader Sushil Kumar Shinde trailing from Solapur, NCP's Supriya Sule leading from Baramat
12:50 pm: The ruling BJP is leading in all the four Lok Sabha seats- Mandi, Kangra, Hamirpur and Shimla - in Himachal Pradesh
12:40 pm: The BJP was leading in all the seven seats in the national capital, with three of its candidates ahead by over one lakh votes, while the Congress and the AAP were trailing at the second spot in five and two seats respectively.
12:30 pm: Rajnath Singh thanks people of India for giving a decisive mandate to BJP-led NDA, and reposing faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. "This historic victory in general elections is outcome of Modi's visionary leadership, Amit Shah's dynamism," he said.
12: 25 pm: The Congress headquarters wears a deserted look as the Lok Sabha election results suggest a clear win for the BJP-led NDA
12:20 pm: With the BJP set to return to power, its parliamentary board is expected to meet Thursday evening at the party headquarters where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to make a speech.
12:15 pm: Stock markets were cheerful in early hours on Thursday as the country began counting of votes with early trends showing a comfortable win for Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led coalition in the just-concluded general elections.
Read the full story here: Sensex Crosses 40,000-Mark As Early Trends Show Second Term For Narendra Modi
12:05 pm: Riding on a massive Modi wave sweeping through most parts of India, the BJP led in 292 seats while the Congress trailed far behind with 51, according to trends released by the Election Commission for all 542 seats that went to polls.
Read the full story here: BJP Set To Return To Power As Modi Wave Sweeps India
12: 00 pm: Jubilant party workers celebrate outside the BJP headquarters in Delhi as the saffron party surges ahead in Lok Sabha election results
11:55 am: BJP's Baijayant Jay Panda is trailing by over 2000 from Odisha's Kendrapara Lok Sabha constituency.
11:50 am: "Nischit meri vijay hogi, meri vijay mein dharm ki vijay hogi, adharm ka naash hoga. Mein Bhopal ki janta ka aabhaar deti hun," said Pragya Thakur, BJP candidate from Bhopal. She is leading in the seat.
11:45 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother Heeraben Modi greets the media outside her residence in Gandhinagar as the BJP-led NDA is set to return to power.
11:40 am: Union Ministers Manoj Sinha and Maneka Gandhi trailing from Ghazipur and Sultanpur respectively
(Photo: ANI)
11:30 am: The BJP-led NDA is leading in 37 of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar.
11:25 am: The ruling BJP is surging ahead in all four Lok Sabha seats of Himachal Pradesh, with its candidates securing unassailable leads, according to latest Election Commission trends.
11:15 am: Candidates leading in Lok Sabha election results
11:10 am: Riding on a massive Modi wave sweeping through most parts of India, the BJP looks set to return to power as it led in 295 seats while the Congress trailed far behind with 50, according to trends released by the Election Commission for all 542 seats that went to polls.
11:05 am: Sitting MP and BJP candidate Hema Malini leading by 22,893 votes against nearest rival and SP-BSP-RLD alliance candidate Kunwar Narendra Singh in Mathura.
11:00 am: Congress president Rahul Gandhi is leading by over 1 lakh votes in Wayanad, Kerala.
10:55 am: The BJP is leading in 38 seats in Bihar and the Congress is ahead in 2 seats.
10:50 am: In Punjab, the BJP is leading in 9 seats and the Congress is ahead on 3 seats. AAP is leading in 1 seat.
10:40 am: In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP is leading in 28 seats and the Congress is ahead on 1 seat alone.
10:20 am: The BJP is leading on all 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat, as per trends available so far. BJP president Amit Shah is leading by over 50,000 votes in Gandhinagar at the end of the second round of counting.
10:15 am: Independent candidate Sumanlatha Ambareesh leading by over 1200 votes from Mandya over Karnataka chief minister JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil Kumaraswamy
10:10 am: In Odisha assembly elections, the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD is leading in 71 seats whereas the BJP is ahead in 22 seats, according to early trends. Congress is leading in 9 seats.
10:05 am: Andhra Pradesh assembly elections leads: Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP leads in 117 seats. Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP is leading in 18 seats. Others lead in 2.
Sikkim assembly elections leads: SDF leads in 6, followed by SKM in 1.
10:00 am: The BJP is leading on all 7 Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, early trends show.
9:54 am: In Andhra Pradesh, Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP is leading in 17 seats, followed by the TDP in 7 seats. In Assam, the BJP leads in 9 seats, Congress in 5.
9:53 am: BJP candidate Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur is leading in early trends received after counting of postal ballots in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal constituency. Thakur is contesting against former Chief Minister and Congress candidate Digvijaya Singh.
9:50 am: In West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee-led TMC is ahead in 27 seats whereas the BJP is leading in 13 seats. The Congress is leading on 1 seat alone.
9:47 am: BJP is leading on 23 seats in Rajasthan. Congress is leading on the remaining on 1 seat.
9:45 am: In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP is leading on 58 seats, the SP-BSP alliance is ahead on 17 seats. The Congress is leading in 4 seats.
9:41 am: In Kerala, the Congress-led UDF is leading in all 20 seats.
9:40 am: Rahul Gandhi is leading by over 10,000 votes in Wayanad, Kerala, according to early trends.
9:37 am: BJP is leading in 36 seats in Maharashtra. Congress is leading in 9 seats, early trends suggest.
9:36 am: Sensex up by more than 600 points as early trends show a return to power of NDA Government
9:35 am: BJP is leading in 22 seats in Karnataka while the Congress is leading in 2 seats, according to initial trends.
9:31 am: JKNC candidate and former Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah is leading in Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency.
9:30 am: BJP's Jaya Prada is leading in Rampur. She is up against mahagathbandhan's Azam Khan.
9:25 am: Congress candidate Shatrughan Sinha is trailing in Patna Sahib where BJP's Ravishankar Prasad is leading, according to initial trends.
9:20 am: Initial trends show AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi is trailing in Hyderabad.
9:19 am: Sukhbir Singh Badal of SAD is leading in Ferozpur, Punjab, according to initial trends.
9:14 am: BJP candidate Sambit Patra is leading in Puri, Odisha, according to initial trends.
9:12 am: BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri leading from South Delhi and BJP's Parvesh Verma leading from West Delhi, according to initial trends.
9:09 am: Former BJP president Nitin Gadkari is leading in Nagpur, Maharashtra, according to initial trends.
9:06 am: In Tamil Nadu, Congress is leading on 23 seats and the BJP is ahead on 3 seats, according to initial trends.
9:02 am: DMK candidate Kanimozhi is leading in Thoothukkudi, Tamil Nadu.
9: 00 am: Initial trends show Congress president Rahul Gandhi is trailing in Amethi where he is up against BJP's Smriti Irani. He is leading in Wayanad, Kerala.
8:56 am: Congress candidate Shashi Tharoor is trailing in Thiruvananthapuram, according to initial trends.
8:52 am: Actress-turned-political and Congress candidate from Mumbai North seat is leading, according to initial trends.
8:51 am: CPI candidate Kanhaiya Kumar is trailing in Begusarai, Bihar. There is a three-way contest in the seat with BJP's Giriraj Singh and RJD's Tanveer Hassan.
8:50 am: UPA chairperson and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi is leading in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh, according to initial trends.
8:50 am: In Rajasthan, BJP is leading in 4 seats, followed by the Congress in 3 seats
8:47 am: Former prime minister and JD(S) candidate HD Deve Gowda is leading from Tumkur seat in Karnataka, according to initial trends.
8:45 am: Sunny Deol, the BJP candidate for Gurdaspur, and Kirron Kher, the saffron party candidate for Chandigarh, are leading.
8:43 am: Cricketer-turned-political and BJP candidate from East Delhi constituency is leading, according to initial trends. He fought a pitched battle against AAP's Atishi.
8:42 am: Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh, who is contesting from Bhopal against BJP's Sadhvi Pragya, is trailing according to initial trends.
8:40: BJP candidate Hama Malini is leading from Mathura seat, according to initial trends.
8:35 am: Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav is leading in Mainpuri seat from Uttar Pradesh, according to initial trends.
8:30 am: BJP president Amit Shah is leading from Gandhinagar constituency in Gujarat, according to initial trends.
8: 25 am: BJP candidate from Amethi Smriti Irani is trailing according to the postal ballot trends. She is up against Congress president Rahul Gandhi who is also fighting from Wayanad in Kerala.
8:20 am: Home Minister Rajnath Singh is leading against the mahagathbandhan candidate Poonam Sinha in Lucknow, according to early postal ballot trends.
8: 10 am: Initial postal ballots trends show BJP leading on numerous seats across the country.
8:00 am: Counting for the Lok Sabha elections has begun at 8 am. As a practice, the postal ballots are counted first. Out of the 18 lakh registered voters, 16.49 lakh have sent their postal ballots to their respective returning officers as on May 17.
(Photo: ANI)
7:45 am: Visuals from outside a counting centre at Kalpetta, Wayanad. Congress president Rahul Gandhi is contesting from this Lok Sabha constituency besides from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, where BJP candidate Smriti Irani is also contesting.
(Photo: ANI)
7:40 am: The United States has said that it is confident in the fairness and integrity of the Indian elections and would work with whoever is the victor.
"I would say from the US perspective, we are very confident in the fairness and the integrity of the Indian elections, and we will obviously work with whoever is the victor and whatever the outcome is there," State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus told reporters during an off-camera gaggle in Washington.
7:30 am: "The results will be definitely in favour of Congress. We're expecting that Congress will win and form govt. Rahul Gandhi will be the PM. The fight in Delhi is between BJP and us," said Congress' Ajay Maken, who is contesting from New Delhi Lok Sabha seat and is up against BJP's Meenakshi Lekhi. In the previous Lok Sabha elections, the BJP swept the all the 7 seats riding on the Modi wave.
(Photo: ANI)
7: 20 am: Visuals outside counting centre in Kolkata. Elections in the state have been marred by sporadic violence with Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress and the BJP trading charges over the issue.
(Photo: ANI)
7: 15 am: I am sure we will win. I am confident I will be able to contribute to legislation and policy-making in this country: BJP's Bengaluru South candidate Tejasvi Surya
(Photo: ANI)
7:10 am: Visuals from outside a counting centre in Bhopal. Counting of votes to begin at 8 AM
(Photo: ANI)
6:10 am: Out of the 543 Lok Sabha seats, elections were held in 542 constituencies as the EC had cancelled polls to the Vellore constituency on the ground of excessive use of money power.
6:05 am: Election Commission officials said the voting percentage of 67.11 this time was the highest ever voter turnout in Indian parliamentary elections.
6:00 am: For the first time in Lok Sabha polls, the EC will tally vote count on Electronic Voting Machines with voter-verified paper audit trail slips in five polling stations in each assembly segment of a parliamentary constituency. It will effectively mean that out of nearly 10.3 lakh polling stations, the EVM-VVPAT matching will take place in 20,600 such stations. In case of a mismatch, the results based on paper slip count will be considered as final.
Sensex up by more than 600 points as early trends show a return to power of NDA Government
