A man holds up a banner declaring his support for BJP's PM candidate Narendra Modi
and the opposition BJP are on course for a landslide victory.
Count of voting at local time 1056 (0526 GMT):
BJP-led alliance ahead in 324 seats, BJP in 272 seats
Congress-led alliance leading in 66 seats, Congress in 50 seats
Seats needed for majority - 272
(Source: NDTV)
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Here are the updates:- The BJP on course for strongest showing by a political party since 1984. Congress party headed towards its worst seat tally in India's election history.
- Rajnath Singh, president of the BJP, congratulated Modi on the party's performance in the elections. (BJP's Performance Superb: Rajnath)
- BJP ahead in 62 of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh. In New Delhi, the party is headed for a clean sweep, leading in all seven seats.
- "My blessings are there. The country will develop. My blessings are there," said 95-year-old Hiraben, Mr Modi's mother. (He Will Lead India Towards Development, Says Modi's Mother)
- Indian shares rally to record highs, rupee strengthens to near a 10-month high against the U.S. dollar. The Sensex is up almost 1,000 points, or almost 4 percent, at 1045 (0516 GMT).
- "(BJP) are getting a clear mandate, so they need to be quick in fulfilling their promises to revive growth. The sentiment in corporate India is hugely positive," said Sunil Duggal, chief executive officer at Dabur India.
- Arun Jaitley, widely seen as India's next finance minister if the BJP-led alliance wins, is trailing in Amritsar.
- Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi, scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, holds a slender lead in his Amethi constituency in Uttar Pradesh. Television star-turned-BJP politician Smriti Irani trails.
- Jayalalithaa Jayaram's AIADMK party is leading in 35 of 39 parliamentary seats in state of Tamil Nadu.
- In West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress party is leading in 33 of 42 seats.
- Ex-Infosys executive Nandan Nilekani, representing Congress, is trailing in Bangalore South.
- BJP's prime-ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is leading in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. He has won in Vadodara in Gujarat.
- Congress party president Sonia Gandhi is leading in her Raebareli constituency.
- Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken admits to errors in the campaign. "I think that we were not able to convey to the people the amount of work we have done ... that needed to be communicated more to the people," he said.