LIVE | Modi's first response: 'Will script history in my third term'

The BJP suffered stunning losses in three Hindi heartland states, partial poll results showed on Tuesday (June 4), forcing the party to rely on allies to form the government after a bitter and divisive election that was projected as a referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity.

After 12 hours of counting of votes that began at 8 am, the Bharatiya Janata Party, whose candidates had contested in the name of Modi, won or was ahead in 240 seats to emerge as the single largest party, a far cry from the 303 it had won last time in the 543-member Lok Sabha to mark the return of coalition politics.

BJP's key allies N Chandrababu Naidu's TDP and Nitish Kumar's JD(U) were leading or winning 16 and 12 seats in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar respectively. With the support of its other allies, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was on course to reach the 272-majority mark.

The TDP swept the assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, dislodging YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's YSRCP. In Odisha, the BJP landed a stunning victory against the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD.

Modi described the NDA's expected majority as a historic feat in India's history, noting that people have placed their faith in the ruling alliance for a third consecutive term.

The Congress-led INDIA alliance, forged together by their common opposition to the BJP and its ideology, was leading in about 234 seats.

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