Here's How Foreign Media Reacted To India's Lok Sabha Election Results

The results for all 543 Lok Sabha seats in the country have been declared by the Election Commission of India. Even though the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured 292 seats, the alliance did not reach its goal of securing over 400 seats. On the other hand, the INDIA bloc, led by the Congress party, won 234 Lok Sabha constituencies. A coalition or a party needs to win at least 272 of the 543 seats to be in power at the centre.

According to the Election Commission data, the BJP won 240 seats but lost 63 seats compared to its 2019 tally. Meanwhile, Congress won 99 constituencies, compared to 52 it won in the previous Lok Sabha election. The Samajwadi Party also made a notable performance in Uttar Pradesh, winning 37 of the 80 seats and emerging as the single-largest party in the country’s most populous state. It is worth mentioning that the international media kept a close watch on the Indian general elections.

Here's how the international media reacted

The New York Times: "Suddenly, the aura of invincibility around Narendra Modi has been shattered. In an Indian election in which his party’s slogan had promised a landslide victory and Mr. Modi even repeatedly referred to himself as sent by God, the results announced on Tuesday were unexpectedly sobering."

The Guardian: A report in The Guardian stated that PM Modi will "probably have to grapple with a more powerful and more animated opposition than at any point over the past decade." The report also mentioned that the results were a "particular triumph for the country’s beleaguered main opposition party and the BJP’s main rival, Indian National Congress".

Washington Post: "The populist prime minister has never failed to secure a majority in state or national elections over a 23-year political career and has enjoyed landslide wins in previous elections. But now Modi seems to be facing a political setback."

BBC: "The BJP's significant drop in seats may be linked to joblessness, rising prices, growing inequality and a controversial army recruitment reform, among other things." The report also added that "the election results show that Brand Modi has lost some of its shine, indicating that even Mr Modi is susceptible to anti-incumbency."

Financial Times: "The results were an unexpected blow for Modi and the BJP, who in the run-up to the election had targeted as many as 400 seats for the NDA."

Al Jazeera: "While Modi has all but secured a third term as prime minister, his need to negotiate with smaller constituents of his coalition raises the possibility that he will have to compromise on aspects of his economic agenda," mentioned Al Jazeera in a report.