India's 2024 General Elections saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) failing to secure an outright majority for the first time since it came to power in 2014. The BJP won 240 seats, short of the required 272 for a majority in the 543-seat Lok Sabha but remains the largest party. Consequently, Modi will need to lead a coalition government, as the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured 292 seats.
Notable for the slower-than-usual flow of congratulatory messages, world leaders such as from the US and UK opted to wait for the final results. Meanwhile, leaders from Italy, Japan, China, and Israel extended their congratulations. Opposition parties, particularly the Indian National Congress and Samajwadi Party, made significant gains, collectively winning 232 seats.
Modi has accepted the mandate to form his government and is expected to be sworn in on June 8, 2024, marking his third term as Prime Minister. The results indicate a broader opposition resurgence and a shift in voter priorities from religious rhetoric to issues like unemployment and economic inequality.
The key figures upholding Modi's coalition are Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal United and Chandrababu Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party, both now pivotal in the NDA's power dynamics. The election has also seen the heightened significance of regional parties and coalitions in determining the political landscape.
Overall, the 2024 Indian general elections underline a more complex and contested political arena, with significant implications for India's future governance and policy direction.