Despite an election blow, India's Narendra Modi declares victory.

• Late on Tuesday, Narendra Modi, the Indian Prime Minister, declared victory in the country's election.
• Despite losing his outright majority, he will still need smaller regional parties to maintain his position.

Despite his party appearing poised to lose its absolute majority, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared victory in the country's election on Tuesday, necessitating his dependence on regional parties.

It appears that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is projected to win only 239 seats in the ongoing vote counts, a decrease from their 2019 tally of 303 seats. In order to secure a third term in power, the BJP may need to enter into power-sharing agreements.

According to local media, the BJP-led NDA is predicted to win a combined 294 parliamentary seats, which is enough to form a government with at least 272 seats.

NDA has been trusted by people for three consecutive times, marking a significant milestone in India's history, as Modi announced on X during the final stages of counting.

He gave a speech at the BJP headquarters in Delhi, declaring that "today's victory is the victory of the world's largest democracy," as translated by Associated Press.

In March, Modi reportedly stated his confidence that the NDA would obtain over 400 seats.

According to AP, Modi assured the crowd that he would prioritize defense production, job creation for young adults, and increasing exports, marking a new era of significant decisions in India.