India's Modi declares election victory for his BJP-led coalition, opposition yet to concede

June 5 (UPI) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party was locked in talks with coalition partners on forming a new government Wednesday after failing to win an outright majority in the general election.

The BJP fell 32 seats short of the 272-seat threshold to form a government but edged over the line with the help of parties in the National Democratic Alliance coalition it heads which won 293 parliamentary seats overall, giving it theoretical majority of 21.

Declaring victory, Modi thanked the Indian people for "expressing their trust in the NDA for the third consecutive time."

"This is an unprecedented moment in the history of India. I assure my countrymen that to fulfill their aspirations, we will move forward with new energy, new enthusiasm and new resolve," he said in a post on X.

"I express my heartfelt gratitude and congratulations to all the workers for the dedication and tireless hard work they have done."

Congratulations poured in overnight, mainly from neighboring countries led by the prime ministers of Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Mauritius, the president of the Maldives and Caribbean leaders, along with a smattering of world leaders including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Modi tendered his resignation as prime minister in line with protocol ahead of an expected swearing-in ceremony scheduled for Saturday but will remain in post as caretaker prime minister in the meantime.

The 73-year-old then proceeded to resume business as usual on Wednesday, planting a tree in New Delhi's Buddha Jayanti Park for World Environment Day ahead of an NDA meeting of top leaders led by Modi's right-hand man Interior Minister Amit Shah, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari to thrash out the details of the new government.

However, the opposition Congress Party-led India National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, or INDIA, which won 232 seats in the 543-seat Lok Sabha with the Congress Party winning 99 on its own -- close to double its take in the 2019 election -- has yet to concede defeat.

"This was a fight to save the Constitution of the country and has emerged victorious in it. The country has said that they do not want Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah to run the country," INDIA founder and former Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi told a news conference Tuesday night.