india’s modi wins resounding election victory with potent appeal to nationalism

NEW DELHI —
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party won an overwhelming victory in the world\'s largest elections, as voters supported his vision of an India with muscular, confident and basically Hindu
This result represents an astonishing trust in Modi, a charismatic, polarized politician and part of the right-wing --
Global populist leaders.
Official results show that Modi\'s BJP is expected to win 303 seats in parliament, well above 272.
Most seats mark.
For nearly 50 years, no Indian Prime Minister has returned to power on a similar mission.
The scale of Modi\'s victory was unexpected, surpassing his party\'s winning performance in 2014.
On Thursday night, Modi told hundreds of cheering supporters that the vote was \"a new India mandate\" and that they poured petals on him.
\"If someone wins today, it\'s the country.
If someone wins today, it\'s democracy.
\"As the son of a tea seller, Modi came to power for the first time five years ago because he was eager to change and believed he could change this country of more than 1 person.
Liberate the economy and create 3 billion people with millions of jobs.
Such expectations are still not met. in this election, Modi instead conveyed a message of nationalist pride, telling voters that he is the only candidate to maintain national security and combat terrorism.
Modi\'s victory is a victory for religious nationalism.
Home of multiple beliefs-
Essentially a Hindu country, trying to abandon the secularism promoted by its founders.
Although about 80% of India is a Hindu, it is also home to Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and other religious groups.
Like Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Hungarian President Orban and Trump, Modi has combined hope and fear. Confuse the pursuit of national greatness with threats from enemies at home and abroad.
He is also dismissive of the news media like those leaders: Modi did not hold any press conferences during his first term.
Under Modi, as both India and the United States seek to manage a rising China, India and the United States become closer, he seems to have a good relationship with Trump.
Trump congratulated Modi on his \"big election victory\" on Twitter on Thursday and expressed his expectation of \"continuing our important cooperation!
\"On the six major voting machines in India, about 0. 6 billion people, or 67% of eligible voters, voted --
Elections for the week starting on April 11.
This result is a turning point in India, consolidating the dominance of Modi and BJP.
\"With this vote, things have fundamentally changed,\" said Milan wazinaf, who is in charge of the South Asia project at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
BJP \"has become a hegemonic force in Indian politics.
India\'s main opposition party, the National Congress of India, has won or led 51 seats, a disastrous performance for India.
The powerful political power that rules most of India --
History of Independence.
Rahul Gandhi, a descendant of Nehru
The Gandhi family failed to find a strategy to respond to Modi\'s demands.
Gandhi admitted losing to a BJP candidate in his constituency, his longtime stronghold in Congress.
Candidates for Indian elections can run in more than one constituency, and Gandhi is also running for a seat in southern India, which he is expected to win.
Gandhi congratulated Modi on his victory but refused to discuss the shortcomings of his campaign.
\"I don\'t think anything is important,\" he told reporters . \".
\"It is important that the Indian people have decided that Narendra Modi will become prime minister.
As an Indian, I fully respect the judgment of the people.
The opposition \"has neither a show nor a leader nor a narrative,\" Pavan Varma, spokesman for the regional party allied with the BJP, told the Indian TV channel NDTV.
At the same time, the BJP has used Modi as a candidate and a strong electoral machine, he said.
In this game, it also has several orders of magnitude more money than any other party.
Modi\'s supporters cheered the result.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley wrote on Twitter that the victory was a \"miracle \".
India has proven that it \"wants growth and wants to believe in the country\'s leadership first.
Several world leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanya, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, congratulated Modi on his re-election.
Despite Modi\'s focus on national security
Especially after the terrorist attacks in Kashmir in February.
The main challenge for the next government is economic problems.
Unemployment rose to 45 last year.
At this year\'s high, there are worrying signs that Indian consumers are buying less, slowing overall economic growth.
For a country that relies on imported crude oil, rising oil prices are another challenge.
Stocks briefly hit record highs on Thursday and then fell back.
Indian business generally supports Modi\'s re-election because it will provide continuity in economic decision-making. Bread-and-
Puja Mehra, author of the lost decade, said the butter issue was \"not much time and space\" in this election, a new book on the Indian economy.
Modi \"can influence the attention of voters [away]
Mehra said that from the economic difficulties they face to the core issues of his campaign, such as the importance of national security, religious identity and strong leadership.
Modi also benefited from a lot of support from voters, many of whom thought he was a tough voter.
Work, corruptionFree politician
Born in Gujarat and humble, Modi grew up in the team of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
It aims to make India a wing of the Hindu nation.
As the first minister of Gujarat, Modi has modernized the infrastructure and successfully attracted investment from domestic and foreign enterprises.
In 2002, during his tenure as chief minister, the worst incidents of community violence in the country in decades occurred: more than 1,000 people were killed by thugs, most of them Muslims.
His own party members wanted him to resign.
Since Modi became prime minister in 2014, there have been increasing reports of extremist violence in India, including what some Hindus consider sacred lynching in the name of protecting cows.
Some Muslims say they are increasingly worried about the direction of the country.
During the campaign, senior leaders of the People\'s Party used the oppositionMuslim rhetoric.
Political scientist and columnist Suhas Palshikar says Modi\'s decisive mandate means India will move further towards becoming a majority democracy.
\"The formal institutional structure will not change much,\" he said . \".
\"Social and cultural values will change.
Religious minorities will \"become second-class citizens\" and Hindu nationalists will \"play freely \".
As prime minister, Modi is trying to implement an ambitious agenda while consolidating power.
The government built the highway and created a high
Contour cleaning drive and implemented nationwideadded tax.
At the same time, media freedom has declined and pressure from the government on critics and independent institutions has increased.
Two months before the vote began, a suicide bomber killed 40 Indian security personnel in the disputed Kashmir area.
In response, Modi launched a retaliatory air strike against a supposedly terrorist training camp near the town of Balakot in Pakistan, which is an unprecedented step for India.
The government did not provide evidence that the airstrikes killed any militants.
In the ensuing confrontation, an Indian fighter pilot was captured by Pakistan and six Indian soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash.
But in the campaign, Modi repeatedly used air strikes as proof of the government\'s ability to fight terrorism and its tough stance on national security.
After the end of the official campaign, Modi went to a Hindu pilgrimage site in the Himalayas, where he prayed and meditated in a cave for the night, the National pietybroadcastnational
Congress party leader Gandhi is trying to weaken Modi\'s dominance.
He attacked his opponent because he threatened the secularism advocated by the country\'s founders, failed to create jobs for millions of young people, and did nothing for struggling farmers.
Modi fought back, calling Gandhi a descendant of a corrupt dynasty.
Gandhi\'s father, grandmother and great-grandfather
His grandfather served as prime minister of India. (
The family has nothing to do with the independent leader Mohandas Gandhi. )
On Thursday afternoon, at the Congress party headquarters in Delhi, journalists waited in vain in the shade of a big tree for party leaders to comment on the election results.
Except for the sound of birds and the noise of passing cars, it is quiet.
The party staff made a low voice about the results, and their expressions were frustrating.
\"These elections were won by lying to the people,\" said Grass Dinesh kashik.
Congressional officials.
Modi will \"gain power to any extent.
The streets leading to the new BJP headquarters are packed with jubilant Modi supporters who distribute sweets and set off firecrackers to celebrate their victory.
Women wear sari with Modi\'s face, while young men wearing the BJP\'s iconic color scarf and banner --saffron —
Dance with the sound of drums and trumpets.
\"The BJP has won a massive victory because of the Balakot air strikes,\" said 32-year-old Rishabh Jain . \".
\"This is because Modi is responsible for national security.
Jayne said he wants Modi to focus on development and push forward India\'s agenda.
Ideology behind Hindu nationalism
\"We are looking forward to a strong country now,\" he said . \"
Tania Dutta contributed to this report.