About 65 percent of India's 900 million-strong electorate turned out over the six weeks of voting, the election commission said. While the country faces a nerve-jangling three day wait until the official count begins, media polls after Sunday's final round said Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies would secure enough seats to form a new government. Modi, who fought an acrimonious campaign framed around his tough stance on national security, and other top BJP leaders made no immediate claim of victory. As the vote drew to a close, the nationalist leader spent the weekend at a retreat in the Himalayas. The opposition had led an onslaught on Modi's handling of the economy and failure to create jobs during the campaign.

Source: Bangkok Post May 20, 2019 03:56 UTC