BJP Celebrates Massive Victory As PM Modi Braces For Second Term, Leads Show
The Bharatiya Janata Party erupted in celebrations across the country as the party is set for a landslide victory in the national elections, with leads showing that the BJP will win a clear majority again on its own by winning 294 seats -- better than the 282 seats it had won in the 2014 general elections. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance or NDA is ahead in 345 seats, leads show, while the Congress-led UPA is leading in 91 seats. In 2014, the NDA had won 336. It was the first time in more than three decades that a single party won majority on its own. The final results will be declared only by late evening.
The leads show that the BJP will manage to keep its core states - the Hindi heartland, Gujarat and Maharashtra - while posting fresh victories in Bengal, Odisha and the northeast.
In Uttar Pradesh, which sends the largest number of lawmakers to the Lok Sabha, the BJP has established a huge lead over the Mayawati-Akhilesh Yadav alliance and is ahead in 61 seats.
In Bengal, leads show the BJP has made huge inroads, and is set to win 19 seats, compared to 22 by Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress. In 2014, the BJP had won just two seats in Bengal.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said "India wins yet again". "Together we grow. Together we prosper. Together we will build a strong and inclusive India. India wins yet again! #VijayiBharat," PM Modi tweeted.
