The parliamentary elections in India have come to a close after more than six weeks, with the last polling stations closing in the evening. However, the results are not expected until June 4. Polls indicate that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to secure a third term in office, with his party, the BJP, following a strongly Hindu nationalist course. Critics and the opposition fear that a re-election of Modi’s party could lead to changes in the constitution to further consolidate this course, though it remains to be seen if the BJP can expand its majority in parliament to do so.
According to post-election surveys, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance has secured over 350 of the 543 seats in the lower house of parliament, well above the 272 seats needed for a majority. The largest opposition bloc, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi’s Congress Party, is forecasted to have received more than 120 seats. In total, around one billion eligible voters participated in the elections, making it the largest election in the world.
During his campaign, Modi emphasized India’s robust economic growth and infrastructure developments under his leadership and aimed to attract investors. However, critics pointed out issues such as high unemployment and inflation. Modi and his party’s vision focuses on making India primarily for the Hindu majority, potentially affecting religious minorities in
