• President Ranil Wickremesinghe congratulates BJP
• MR, Sajith also congratulate PM Modi

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi  has claimed victory in India’s  Lok Sabha’s election for the third consecutive time but with a margin narrower than expected , according to the Indian media .

The official final results were not out by the time this edition went to press last night .

In what is called an upset for the sitting prime minister, his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led National Democratic Alliance (NDA)! may fall short of an outright majority and be reliant on longstanding coalition allies to form a government. However,Prime Modi claimed victory. A party or alliance that wins more than 272 seats in the 543-member parliament can form the government. All 642 million votes had been cast during six weeks of the world’s biggest election, which ended on June 1. 

As counting progressed on Tuesday, the BJP looked likely to fall short of the 272-seat mark that signifies a majority in the 543-member Lok Sabha, the lower house of India’s Parliament. 
With its allies, the BJP was still projected to win a majority. The opposition INDIA alliance, led by the Congress party, was projected to win more than 200 seats.

These numbers contrast sharply with 2019, when the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 353 seats, 303 of which were bagged by the BJP alone.Meanwhile , Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe congratulated the BJP on its victory . “I extend my warmest felicitations to the @BJP4India led NDA on its victory, demonstrating the confidence of the Indian people in the progress and prosperity under the leadership of PM @narendramodi. As the closest neighbour Sri Lanka looks forward to further strengthening the partnership with India,” he said in a post on X. 

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa also congratulated the Indian Prime Minister on his electoral victory .

Taking to X , he said , “My heartiest congratulations to my friend @narendramodi ji on securing a third term following BJP’s victory in India. The people have spoken, acknowledging his vision & dedication to serving India. I look forward to furthering our ties with the new government,”

Taking to X , Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa also congratulated Mr. Modi .

He said ,”Congratulations to PM @narendramodi ji and NDA on a historic win. We look forward to being inspired by a new chapter of big decisions for India and another chapter of India’s “Neighborhood First Policy”