- Big blow for leader who has had the upper hand in Indian politics for the last decade; he will now have to rely on allies to form a government
- Experts call it a ‘political earthquake’ as Modi will need the support of two key members of his alliance who have a history of switching sides
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi flashes the victory sign as he arrives at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters on Tuesday. Photo: AFPIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party is poised to lose its majority in parliament. This will compel him to rely on allies to form a government. It’s a stunning blow to a leader who has dominated Indian politics since he first took power a decade ago.
Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party was leading in 240 seats, short of the 272 needed for a majority, while his National Democratic Alliance had 293 seats – enough to form a government if it sticks together. The opposition bloc, known as the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, was on course to win 229 seats, the results showed.
Modi claimed victory for his coalition, calling it a “historical feat”, and signalled that he intends to return as prime minister. Praising the party’s workers, he assured voters that “we will continue the good work done in the last decade to keep fulfilling the aspirations of people”.
Exit polls released over the weekend showed Modi would coast to an easy victory in the marathon, six-week election. Before voting kicked off on April 19, he had boldly predicted that his alliance would win a whopping 400 seats.
“This is not an election – it is a kind of political earthquake,” said Niranjan Sahoo, senior fellow with the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation who has written several books on Indian politics. “Even if Modi becomes the prime minister, his position will be diminished to a great extent. He will not be the same Modi.”
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Modi now needs to secure the support of two key members of his broader National Democratic Alliance who control some 30 seats – enough to flip the balance of power in parliament. Leaders of those two parties have a history of switching sides, and only joined up with Modi a few months ago, making it unclear whether they will stick with him or back the opposition bloc.
More than 20 opposition parties, spearheaded by the Congress party’s Rahul Gandhi, formed a united front in a bid to stop Modi’s once-dominant electoral machine. A mixture of regional and caste-based groups, the alliance focused on appealing to voters who felt left out of India’s growth story, which has been marked by growing inequality, pervasive joblessness and rising living costs.
After the results became clear, Gandhi said the election showed that voters don’t want Modi to run the country. The opposition alliance would meet on Wednesday to discuss next steps, he added.
“We do not like the way they have run this country for the last 10 years,” Gandhi told reporters on Tuesday. “That is a huge message to Mr Narendra Modi.”
The result is a disappointment for the 73-year-old leader, who has been the main face of the BJP’s election campaign and built the party primarily around himself. Besides raising questions about Modi’s own future as prime minister, a weak coalition government will likely make it difficult for him to push through tough economic reforms or further his Hindu nationalist agenda assuming he returns to power.