India's Narendra Modi declares victory for BJP in landslide result New Indian leader Narendra Modi has promised "good days are coming" in his first reaction to a historic victory by his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in national elections. "India has won. Good days are coming," Mr Modi wrote on Twitter shortly before he went to seek blessings from his mother in his home state of Gujarat. Meanwhile, India's ruling Congress party has conceded defeat as election results show a landslide win for the opposition BJP under their Hindu nationalist leader. "We accept defeat. We are ready to sit in the opposition," senior Congress leader and spokesman Rajeev Shukla told reporters at party headquarters in New Delhi. "Modi promised the moon and stars to the people. People bought that dream." Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called Mr Modi to congratulate him on his party's thumping victory, Mr Singh's office said in a tweet. "Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh calls Shri Narendra Modi and congratulated him on his party's victory in the Lok Sabha (parliamentary) elections." Partial results from the country's Election Commission show Mr Modi's Hindu nationalist BJP has won 20 parliamentary seats, leading in 259. Counts are showing the alliance led by the BJP is leading in 325 parliamentary seats out of 543 being contested. The ruling Congress Party alliance is leading the count in just 67 seats, according to Reuters, its worst-ever result. The numbers confirm the BJP and its allies will win an absolute majority of more than 272 seats in the lower house of parliament. 'Hail Modi, hail Modi' Outside BJP party headquarters in New Delhi, jubilant supporters are banging drums, lighting firecrackers and waving flags as results show Mr Modi ahead in both the seats he is contesting, in his home state of Gujarat and the holy city of Varanasi. "This victory represents a tectonic shift in the electoral landscape," said senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad. Crowds roared 'hail Modi, hail Modi' outside BJP party headquarter in Ahmedabad which is the main city in Gujarat State where the Hindu nationalist hardliner has been Chief Minister since 2001. Mr Modi celebrated in low-key style, visiting his elderly mother in the Gujarat state capital of Gandhinagar. She fed him sweets and offered him a blessing as they sat outside on her porch with children, well-wishers and the media looked on. Rahul Gandhi, who led the Congress campaign, was leading by a slender margin in his seat of Amethi, which has been held in turn by his uncle, father and mother, Sonia. With the BJP leading in 261 seats, the party was not far short of a majority on its own, confirming the findings of the most optimistic exit polls. Returns from 989 counting stations were based on partial counts, with no results yet declared. "This is undoubtedly going to be a BJP government," said Prannoy Roy, the head of NDTV news channel and a political analyst. Such an outcome will open the way for Mr Modi, 63, to become prime minister and act quickly to form the core of a new government. "We didn't go by the exit polls. We went by the sense on the ground," said Piyush Goyal, BJP treasurer. "It looks pretty bleak at the moment," said Abhishek Manu Singhvi, a Congress leader, adding he would wait for final results. Financial boost India's stock market jumped more than six percent to a record high of 25,000 points on news that opposition leader Narendra Modi was heading for a landslide election victory. The benchmark Bombay Stock Exchange index, known as the Sensex, rose 6.06 percent to 25,353.16 in morning trade with banking stocks leading the way. "Markets are following indications that the BJP and its allies will have a thumping victory - this is crucial for their ability to push key reforms," said Harendra Kumar, head of brokerage Elara Capital. The rupee also surged 1.14 per cent to 58.52 against the US dollar. The currency has been strengthening in recent weeks on expectations that Modi would win the marathon five-week election and introduce structural reforms to turn the economy around. It has now risen 17.45 percent since it sank to a record low of 68.85 last August with investors worried about a fiscal deficit crisis and waning confidence as the government struggled to boost growth in the face of global economic turmoil. Markets have risen 5.0 percent in the past week as heady, many say unrealistic, optimism has returned after low business investment and economic growth, rising food prices and corruption. India's central bank said it has contingency plans ready to deal with any excessive volatility in the markets from the election results. Modi breaks the mould Since being named as his party's candidate last September, Mr Modi has flown 300,000 km and addressed 457 rallies in a slick, presidential-style campaign that has broken the mould of Indian politics. Analysts say Mr Modi has outclassed Mr Gandhi, 43, while promoting his pro-business record as chief minister of the western state of Gujarat. Mr Modi's mantra of development has won over many voters who were initially sceptical about his Hindu-centric ideology and his role in sectarian riots in his home state in 2002. The riots resulted in the deaths of more than 1,000 people, mainly Muslims. Mr Modi has denied any wrongdoing and a probe ordered by the Supreme Court found he had no case to answer. ABC/Reuters/AFP http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-05-16/bjp-heading-to-victory-in-india/5457900
