Defeat in Victory Victory in Defeat

New Delhi: The BJP suffered stunning losses in three Hindi heartland states, partial poll results showed Tuesday, forcing the party to rely on allies to form the government after a bitter and divisive election that was projected as a referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity.

After 12 hours of counting of votes that began at 8 am, the Bharatiya Janata Party, whose candidates had contested in the name of Modi, won or was ahead in 240 seats to emerge as the single largest party, a far cry from the 303 it had won last time in the 543-member Lok Sabha to mark the return of coalition politics.

BJP's key allies N Chandrababu Naidu's TDP and Nitish Kumar's JD(U) were leading or winning 16 and 12 seats in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar respectively. With the support of its other allies, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was on course to reach the 272 majority mark. The TDP also swept the assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh dislodging Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy's YSRCP.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge termed the poll outcome as the "victory of the people and that of democracy." “We had been saying that this battle is between public and Modi...This mandate is against Modi. This is his political and moral defeat. It is a big defeat for a person who sought votes in his own name. He has suffered a moral setback," Kharge told reporters at the AICC headquarters flanked by Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi after the good showing by the Congress.

It is the first time that 73-year-old Modi, who was on track to equal Jawaharlal Nehru's record as prime minister for a third consecutive term, will be dependent on allies to be in the government since he came into politics.

Prime Minister Modi described the NDA's expected majority as a historic feat in India's history, noting that people have placed their faith in the ruling alliance for a third consecutive term. In a post on X, he said, "I bow to the 'Janata Janardan' for this affection and assure them that we will continue the good work done in the last decade to keep fulfilling the aspirations of people."

The elections also highlighted the revival of the main opposition Congress party under Rahul Gandhi, and the unexpected role of the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh - under Akhilesh Yadav -- as a giant slayer. The trends and results did not throw up a landslide victory the BJP-led NDA had hoped for and what was projected by the exit polls. More than 640 million votes are to be counted in the world's largest democratic exercise.

The Congress, which is part of the opposition INDIA alliance, was leading or winning 99 seats compared to 52 it won in 2019 eating into BJP's share in Rajasthan and Haryana. The INDIA bloc won or was ahead in over 200 seats. As SP chief Akhilesh Yadav kept the INDIA bloc morale high in Uttar Pradesh, the Trinamool