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India’s election results were more than a ‘Modi wave’

Modi’s BJP party benefited from a number of advantages.

Analysis by
May 31, 2019 at 7:00 a.m. EDT
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to supporters Monday after offering prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi. (Sanjay Kanojia/AFP/Getty Images)

After five weeks and seven voting stages, India’s national elections delivered a decisive win for an alliance led by the right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP won 303 seats, and its alliance commands 352 seats in India’s 543-seat Parliament.

The BJP’s primary rival, the centrist Indian National Congress (Congress), won only 52 seats. India’s two left-wing communist parties fared even worse, with a combined five seats.