PM Narendra Modi at the victory celebrations in New Delhi

The National Democratic Alliance is poised to return to power after it managed to win or lead in 292 seats on Tuesday, despite stiff fight from the Congress-led INDIA bloc (Express Photo)

Following BJP-led NDA’s comfortable tally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed his party workers at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi. “On this day, for the third time in a row, an NDA government is set to be formed. The people of the country have placed their entire faith in the BJP and the NDA. This victory is the victory of the biggest democracy in the world,” he said (Express Photo)

PM Modi touched upon the historical significance of the NDA government’s consecutive third term. “It is for the first time since 1962, that a government will return for a third term.” (Express Photo)

Looking back at the 2014 mandate, the prime minister said, “Ten years ago, the country voted for change. That was the time when people could not see any hope. Newspaper headlines everyday spoke of scams. The youth were anxious about their future. We worked with integrity … and in 2019, the people of the country, once again, gave us their mandate. Now for the third time, for the blessings that the NDA has received, I would like to bow down before the people of the country.” (Express Photo)

Meanwhile, NDA won in all the simultaneous Assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh, AP, Odisha, Sikkim, while the Congress lost all. The BJP made substantial gains in Lok Sabha polls in some states in the south but lost its 2019 record of being the single-largest party overall across the five states. (Express Photo)

Modi’s own victory margin of 1.52 lakh votes in Varanasi is well below 4.79 lakh in 2019. This is a pointer to how the BJP had lost the plot in UP this time. Another indicator of the setback in the state – and nationally – was the defeat of Union Minister Smriti Irani in Amethi. (Express Photo)

Powered by an aggressive campaign over an emotional narrative of Odia Asmita (pride), the BJP stopped its former ally BJD from taking the reins of Odisha for a record sixth straight term. The saffron surge also swept the Lok Sabha polls with the BJP bagging 19 of the 21 seats, leaving the BJD and Congress with one seat each, in the state. (Express Photo)