India election results 2024: Narendra Modi claims third term but projections show party unlikely to win outright majority – as it happened

Narendra Modi says India has placed its faith in the ruling coalition for a third consecutive time', as figures show his BJP party unlikely to secure an overall majority

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led alliance, the NDA bloc, is enjoying an early lead as votes are counted, pulling ahead in 154 seats of the total 543 in the lower house of parliament.

Early trends show the opposition INDIA alliance leading in 120 seats.

The first votes counted are postal ballots, which are paper ballots, mostly cast by troops serving outside their home constituencies or officials away from home on election duty.

This year, postal votes were also offered to voters over 85 years of age and people with disabilities to allow them to vote from home.

According to some exit polls, Modi and the BJP could be headed for a two-thirds majority in parliament, giving them an even stronger victory than in the 2019 elections.