Elections results 2019: Modi magic sweeps India as BJP hurtles toward 300 mark, Opposition left in dust

In a stunning electoral showing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the BJP to a historic victory in the Lok Sabha polls, with the ruling party itself set to win 300 seats in a marked improvement over its 2014 showing that left the opposition dazed and demoralized. The NDA could end up with 348 of the 542 Lok Sabha seats.

The crowd at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's public rally. Photo: Getty Images

NEW DELHI: In a stunning electoral showing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the BJP to a historic victory in the Lok Sabha polls, with the ruling party itself set to win 300 seats in a marked improvement over its 2014 showing that left the opposition dazed and demoralized. The NDA could end up with 348 of the 542 Lok Sabha seats. Such was the force of the BJP wave that even Congress President Rahul Gandhi lost in his bastion of Amethi to Smriti Irani, but in consolation prize won the Wayanad seat in Kerala. Until 9 p.m., the BJP had won 115 seats and was leading in 188 of the 542 Lok Sabha seats that went to polls in seven phases in April and May. This has put it on course to likely winning 303 seats, far better than the 282 it won in 2014. With the support of allies in the National Democratic Alliance, the coalition could have some 348 seats. The victory margin left the combined opposition in the dust, with the Congress Party stuck at 27 confirmed victories and a lead in 24 seats, according to the partial results. The BJP swept state after state, including those ruled by the Congress. Its most spectacular results came in Uttar Pradesh where it was set to win 60 of the 80 seats, puncturing the SP-BSP alliance, while making major inroads in West Bengal by taking the victory lap in an unprecedented 18 of the 42 seats. The saffron party was set to bag all 26 seats in Modi's home state Gujarat, all 10 in Haryana, all seven in Delhi, all five in Uttarakhand, all four in Himachal Pradesh, both seats in Tripura as well as Arunachal Pradesh and the single seats of Chandigarh, Daman and Diu, Manipur besides a whopping 28 out of 29 in Madhya Pradesh, 24 out of 25 in Rajasthan, 41 out of 48 in Maharashtra along with the Shiv Sena, 25 out 28 in Karnataka, 11 out of 14 in Jharkhand, 9 out of 14 in Assam and 39 out of 40 in Bihar in alliance with the JD-U and LJP. Not my victory but India's: PM Modi In his victory speech, Modi promised to devote "every moment" of his time and "every fibre" of his being for the people of India and said the country will now have only two castes -- the poor and those who want to alleviate poverty. "People are chanting Modi, Modi. But this is not a victory of Modi, it is the victory of people who are desperate for honesty in the system. "It is not Modi's victory, but a win of people's hope and aspirations," Modi said. This is the victory of toiling farmers who struggle to feed the nation, this is the victory of those who now live in proper houses, this is the victory of the middle class which follows the rules, pays taxes, but wondered if his taxes were being used for the benefit of the country, he said. Modi's proclamation of "Ab ki baar 300 paar" just a few days ago looks set to come true as Gandhi's campaign slogan of "chowkidar chor hai" and promises of annual income guarantee were soundly rejected by voters. BJP gets over 50 pc votes in 13 states, UTs The BJP has seen its vote share soar past 50 per cent in at least 13 states and Union territories, a feat which the rival Congress could manage only in Puducherry. The saffron party has got close to 50 per cent in Uttar Pradesh and even higher in Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Delhi, Chandigarh and Arunachal Pradesh. In West Bengal also, the BJP has secured close to 40 per cent votes and in Jammu & Kashmir it has scored approximately 46 per cent. No Congress MPs in 18 states, UTs    If one drives from Jammu and Kashmir to Tamil Nadu, one will not find a Congress MP in half-a-dozen of states. The party has scored a nil in 18 states and union territories in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress losers include eight chief ministers and the party's leader in the Lok Sabha. Among the big states, there are zero Congress MPs in Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Odisha. The smaller states which will not send a single Congress MP are: Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi and Uttarakhand. Apart from these, the Congress has no presence in Andaman and Nicobar, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura. After Nehru and Indira, Modi is only PM to come back to power with full majority After Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, Narendra Modi is the third prime minister of the country who has been able to retain power for a second term with full majority in Lok Sabha. Jawaharlal Nehru won around three-fourth of the Lok Sabha seats in the first elections in the country during 1951-52. Subsequently, he was able to win 1957 elections as well as 1962 elections with full majority. In 1967 elections, Nehru's daughter Indira Gandhi was able to get 283 seats out of total 520 seats. This was Indira's first electoral victory in general elections. It was during this time that Indira coined the slogan "Garibi hatao", which found a wide emotive appeal among the Indian voters. As a result, she was able to increase her tally to 352 in 1971 elections for her second term. Narendra Modi won his first ever general elections with full majority in 2014 with 282 seats. (With inputs from agencies)