NEW DELHI (AP) — China, Ukraine and other countries sent their congratulations Wednesday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government began preparations for his swearing-in for a record third term after the world’s largest democratic election.
Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party planned to meet allies later Wednesday to discuss government formation.
Official results from the Election Commission showed the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance winning 294 of the 543 seats, more than the 272 needed for a majority but far fewer than expected. For the first time since the BJP came to power in 2014, it failed to win a majority on its own, winning 240 seats, far short of the record 303 it won in the 2019 elections.
Modi met with Indian President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday and submitted his customary resignation, along with that of his cabinet, ahead of the swearing-in ceremony expected in a few days.
“The President has accepted the resignation and requested Narendra Modi and the Council of Ministers to continue until the new government takes office,” the President’s office said in a statement.
Congratulations to Modi from leaders of regional countries including Nepal and Bhutan were the first to arrive, while the White House praised India for its “vibrant democratic process.”
In Beijing on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning congratulated the BJP.
“A healthy and stable relationship between India and China is in the interest of both countries and conducive to the peace and development of this region and beyond,” she said, adding that China is willing to work with India in the fundamental interest of the two countries. .
Tensions between India and China remain high, with tens of thousands of soldiers having gathered at their disputed border since 2020. Twenty Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers were killed in the clash.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he looked forward to seeing India participate in a peace summit to be hosted by Switzerland.
“Everyone in the world recognizes the importance and weight of India’s role in global affairs. It is critical that we all work together to ensure a just peace for all nations,” he said.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said he looks forward to expanding cooperation in trade, technology and other sectors to contribute to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.
In the elections, the opposition Congress Party won 99 seats, an improvement from 52 in the 2019 polls. Among its key allies, the Samajwadi Party won 37 seats in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, in a major shock to the BJP, the All India Trinamool Congress won 29 seats in the state of West Bengal and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam won 22 seats in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. .
Combined, the opposition INDIA coalition won a total of 232 seats.
The BJP may now be “heavily dependent on the goodwill of its allies, which makes them critical players that we can expect to get their money’s worth from, both in terms of policymaking and government formation,” Milan said Vaishnav, director of the BJP. South Asia Program of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
“The result at least bursts the bubble of Prime Minister Modi’s authority. He made these elections about himself,” Pratap Bhanu Mehta, a political commentator, told The Indian Express newspaper. “Today he is just another politician, tailor-made for the people.”
More than 640 million votes were cast in the six-week marathon election, the world’s largest democratic exercise.
