Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during an address to his supporters in BJP's headquarters in Delhi, declared that the Indian elections were not being contested by politicians but the people of India.
He congratulated his party for its astounding performance in the elections and thanked his voters for coming out to cast their ballots despite high temperatures.
"Since the country got independence, so many elections took place, but the maximum voting took place in this election and that too in 40-42 degree temperature."
Amit Shah, president of BJP's Delhi chapter, says that Indian voters have served Congress with a "chastening defeat" in the Indian elections. He is addressing BJP supporters in Delhi.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also address supporters today.
Pragya Thakur, a BJP candidate who was accused of terrorism for her alleged involvement in the 2008 Malegaon blasts, is on her way to victory in India's central city of Bhopal by a huge margin, Reuters reports.
Thakur received 69 per cent more votes than her opponent, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh.
Read more about Thakur here.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived at BJP headquarters in Delhi and will address his supporters shortly. BJP is leading the Lok Sabha elections in vote count.
BJP's astounding performance in the Indian elections is a "victory of Hindu nationalism", says Swaminathan Aiyar, the consulting editor of ET Now in an interview to Economic Times.
"It is worth emphasising this election was not on economic policy, this is a victory of Hindu nationalism and if you like, it is the victory of Modi’s success on a certain kinds of welfarism. Anybody who thought that he is going to be a new Ronald Regan has been wrong."
"Hindu nationalism has won the day and all the other issues I think are number two, number three all the way down to number 10," he added.
BJP candidate actor Ravi Kishan won from the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha constituency by 301,664 votes, the Indian Election Commission said.
Indian right-wing Hindu nationalist party Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have lauded BJP's performance in the elections and termed it as the "triumph of national forces", Time of India reported.
"Many compliments to each and everyone who have contributed to this victory of democracy. The spirit and ideal of democracy have once again been established for the world to witness," the news outlet quoted RSS General Secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi.
RSS is largely seen as the ideological parent of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP party.
Indian Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi joined her brother in congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP workers, saying that the party "accepts people's verdict".
The 68-year-old Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has carefully constructed an image of himself as a pious man of the people, a would-be monk called to politics who has elevated India’s status globally, says a feature by The Associated Press.
The feature notes how Modi used social media and religion as tools to maintain his popularity among his voter base.
"The cult has been fueled by a social media blitzkrieg. There was NaMo TV and a NaMo app. Like US President Donald Trump, to whom he is often compared, Modi is a big fan of Twitter, using it and a YouTube channel managed by the BJP to bypass traditional media."
Read the complete feature here.
After the BSE Sensex touched an all-time high of 40,000 points during intra-day with news of Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA)’s decisive lead in the Lok Sabha polls, the 30-share index plunged 298.82 points, or 0.76 percent to close at 38,811.39 at end of trading, Firstpost reported.
The Sensex shed early gains after investors booked profits after stocks soared to record highs after BJP's strong showing in the Lok Sabha polls.
Read more here.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi conceded defeat in his home constituency of Amethi, saying that "I respect the decision and congratulate Smriti Irani ji."
He declined to comment on the reasons behind Congress' disastrous performance in the Indian elections and said that: "People of India have clearly decided that Narendra Modi is going to be their prime minister and as an Indian I respect that."
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan congratulates Indian premier Narendra Modi.
As BJP continues to lead the Indian vote count, PPP Senator Sherry Rehman warns that the right-wing party's landslide victory would "mean a tougher neighbourhood for Pakistan".
"Exit polls India foretell a BJP landslide. If these polls r close to final count it will mean a tougher neighbourhood for Pakistan. The new BJP’s mandate, among other things is extremism, exclusion. [Islamabad] has a sweet tooth for Modi mithai but translating
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked voters for their "faith placed in [BJP] alliance". He also lauded BJP workers for their "determination, perseverance and hardwork".
"Thank you India! The faith placed in our alliance is humbling and gives us strength to work even harder to fulfil people's aspirations.
"I salute every BJP Karyakarta for their determination, perseverance and hardwork. They went home to home, elaborating on our development agenda."
Prime Minister Imran Khan became the latest leader to congratulate Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In a tweet, Prime Minister Imran said that he "looks forward to working with him for peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia".
Actor Sunny Deol met his supporters in the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha constituency where he is leading by a considerable margin against his Congress rival. Deol is a BJP candidate.
Mehbooba Mufti, former chief minister of Indian-occupied Kashmir, lost in the Anantnag constituency Times of India reported. A BJP supporter claimed that the Indian electorate had
Earlier, she had tweeted that she "accepts [the voters'] verdict with humility".
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid sends a congratulatory message to Indian premier Narendra Modi and his party continues to lead in majority of Lok Sabha constituencies.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who is leading in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency, expressed his frustration over his party's disappointing performance in the Indian elections using a cricket analogy.
"As my lead nears 50,000 with 72% counted, i feel like a batsman who has scored a century while his team has lost! It's a bittersweet emotion I will take some time to reflect on," Tharoor tweeted. In another tweet, he said that he was "sad and disappointed about the national picture".
Hindu nationalist party Shiv Sena, that formed an alliance with the BJP in the 2014 Indian elections, claims that no one would be able to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the next 25 years, the Times of India reports.
Modi's party BJP continues to lead in majority of Lok Sabha constituencies.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi is headed towards a landmark victory in the Wayanad constituency in the Kerala state where he is leading with 838,371 votes.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to offer his congratulations.
Amit Shah, the president of BJP's Delhi chapter, was welcomed by supporters and heaps of flower petals as he arrived at the party's headquarters after the party sailed through majority seats.
Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) candidate Udasi S.C. has won a seat in Havari constituency in southwest Karnataka state, CNN reported. He won by a margin of 140,882 votes.
This is the first official result that has been declared since the vote count started seven hours ago.
