(CNN) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi proclaimed in a short message on X his “historic” victory in the general elections, although his party has suffered losses compared to previous elections.
“People have placed their faith in the NDA (National Democratic Alliance coalition), for the third time in a row! It is a historic feat in the history of India,” he wrote on the social network, referring to the initials of his political alliance. .
Modi is expected to give a speech shortly at the headquarters of his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – part of the NDA – in New Delhi.
Electoral authorities are still counting the votes and full results are expected in the next few hours. But early numbers from the Election Commission of India show that Prime Minister Modi’s party faces difficulties in winning an outright majority and may need coalition allies to form a government.
The BJP has won 62 seats so far and is leading in 178, according to election commission data as of 6 p.m. local (8:30 a.m. ET).
The BJP needs at least 272 seats to form the government.
If current trends hold, the results would indicate that the BJP’s once undisputed majority has eroded, leaving Modi reliant on coalition partners for the first time since he came to power a decade ago.
It would be a surprise.
The BJP won absolute majorities in 2014 and 2019, but used allied parties to expand the size of those majorities in Parliament.
Modi wins Varanasi seat
The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, won his seat for the Varanasi constituency, the electoral commission announced.
Also known as the spiritual capital of the country, it is Modi’s third consecutive victory in this diverse city located on the banks of the sacred Ganges River, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
He won with 612,970 votes and a comfortable margin of 152,513.
And although he remains incredibly popular in his constituency, 10 years after his rise, many of Benares’s Muslims feel neglected, even betrayed, especially as a centuries-old mosque becomes the latest flashpoint in a case that puts tests the secular fabric of India.
India’s main opposition, the Indian National Congress, also won a seat in Uttar Pradesh.
