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Narendra Modi vowed to continue as India’s prime minister even after his party lost its outright majority in parliament. The Bharatiya Janata Party fell short of the 272 seats needed for control, meaning it must rely on its allies to form a government.
The outcome is a stunning blow for Modi, who had predicted his party and its allies would capture more than two-thirds of all seats in this election. The opposition bloc spearheaded by the Indian National Congress performed far better than predicted with its appeal to voters who felt left out of India’s growth story.
Listen to our Big Take Asia podcast: Election Results Shake Modi's Hold on India
At stake in the election were 543 seats in the lower house of parliament, known as the Lok Sabha. The party or coalition that wins a majority of seats selects the prime minister. Modi set a high bar for success heading into the vote, predicting that his BJP-led National Democratic Alliance would win more than 400 seats in parliament, up from about 350 seats in 2019.
In a bid to oust Modi, more than 20 opposition parties — including the Indian National Congress, which had ruled India for much of its history before Modi took power — formed an alliance. It had sought to woo voters by focusing on issues like joblessness and the high cost of living.
Note: Analysis conducted only in constituencies where BJP coalition parties have contested in the 2019 and 2024 election
The BJP’s decades-long rise started off with victory in just two seats in 1984. It rose to dominate Indian politics on the back of its Hindu-first policies, which resonated with the country’s largest religious group, and the country’s economic boom.
At the same time, the Congress party, which ruled India for much of its post-independence period, lost its standing after 2009 amid corruption scandals, weakened leadership and what many voters saw as a lack of visionary new policies.
The 2024 election results are a major setback for the BJP and force Modi to rely on allies to form a government for the first time since he stormed to power a decade ago.
BJP and allies
Congress and allies
Sources: Election Commission of India; Lokniti Programme for Comparative Democracy, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.
Photography: Narendra Modi by Prakash Singh/Bloomberg and Rahul Gandhi by Drew Angerer/Getty Images