How will LGBTQ people be impacted by India's election?
From Esha Mitra in New Delhi
India’s LGBTQ population saw few of its concerns addressed ahead of the country’s general elections.
In 2018 the Supreme Court decriminalized hom*osexuality, scrapping a colonial-era law in a move the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) takes credit for.
But last year, the Supreme Court of India ruled against a petition to legalize same-sex marriage, and activists say LGBTQ people in India continue to face discrimination and abuse.
What the ruling party says: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), expected to secure another five years in power, has failed to adequately address this community on the campaign trail.
In its manifesto, it promised to expand India's network of shelters for transgender people and promised to give them national ID cards. But transgender activists say the BJP government claims to provide rights for transgender people, but it has made it hard for them to live as equals in India.
In parliament, 151 members have been vocal on LGBTQ issues, and fewer than 20 of these were from the BJP, according to PinkList, a national archive of politicians supporting LGBTQ rights.
What the opposition says: the Indian National Congress has said in its manifesto that it would legalize civil unions between LGBTQ couples if elected.
Surprise results put Modi off track from his expected landslide victory. Here's what to know
From CNN Staff
It’s been a busy evening in India as early results in the nation's general election indicated that incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may fall short of an outright majority and be reliant on longstanding coalition allies to form a government.
Before votes were counted, Modi and the BJP were hoping for a supermajority of 400 seats in the 543-seat lower house of parliament.
Once the vote count got underway, it became clear that an alliance of opposition parties had performedbetter than some analysts expected.
Modi has claimed a "historical" victory in a short post on X, but election authorities are still counting votes and full results are expected in the coming hours.
If you’re just joining our coverage, let's bring you up to speed:
- Possible coalition: Early results suggest that Modi’s BJP may have to rely on coalition partners to form a government. Those partners include dozens of right-wing parties from theNational Democratic Alliance (NDA), a BJP-led group that has been in power since his first election in 2014.
- Other unexpected results: The BJP made surprise inroads in the southern state of Kerala. The victory for BJP candidate Suresh Gopi marks the first time the party has won a seat in the state.
- Supermajority fears: Any hopes for a supermajority are fading. A supermajority for the BJP would have enabled it to change the constitution – something that opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said voters had decided against. The BJP has repeatedly denied it has plans to change the constitution. Critics had feared the supermajority would give Modi an unstoppable mandate to further enshrine his Hindu-nationalist agenda,deepening India’s move away from its secular foundations.
- Modi rhetoric: Modiincreasingly resorted to overtly Islamophobic language during his election campaign, critics and observers said, as he sought a third straight term governing the world’s most populous nation. The shift in tone is making many Indian Muslims nervous.
- Stocks fall: Indian stocks plunged Tuesday asvote countingin the country’s election suggested Modi’s dream of a landslide victory was at risk. It marked the worst daily drop for Indian stocks since 2020.
India's Modi claims "historical" victory in post on X
From CNN's Rhea Mogul
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has claimed a "historical" victory in a short post on X.
"People have placed their faith in (National Democratic Alliance), for a third consecutive time! This is a historical feat in India’s history," he wrote on the social media platform, referring to the initials of his political alliance.
Election authorities are still counting votes and full results are expected in the coming hours.Modi is expected to make a speech shortly.
Some background: Formed in 1998, the NDA was created as an antithesis to India's main opposition, the Indian National Congress. It includes several regional parties. Current early results indicate Modi's party alone won't win enough votes to govern alone and will rely on NDA allies to form a government.
Opposition leader says they're in fight to "save constitution"
From CNN's Antoinette Radford and Esha Mitra
This election has been a fight not only against Prime Minister Narendra Modi but "to save India's constitution," the leader of India's main opposition, Rahul Gandhi said after early shock results began to emerge.
"The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) illegally tried to highjack all government institutions. They broke parties, arrested leaders," the face of the Indian National Congress told reporters on Tuesday evening.
"People believed that if Modi gets another chance he would attack the constitution and democracy… This conspiracy of the BJP has been unsuccessful."
He added that early election results showed that the "country has unanimously and clearly" stated that it does not want Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India's Home Minister Amit Shah to be involved in running the country.
"We do not appreciate the way they have attacked the constitution," he said. "We do not appreciate the way they have run this country for the last 10 years so that is a huge message for Mr. Narendra Modi."
Gandhi has won his constituency of Wayanad with 647,445 votes according to the Election Commission of India.
Commenting on gains made by opposition candidates in the bellwether state of Uttar Pradesh, Gandhi said the public “has done a miracle… looking at the attack on the constitution and democracy. They protected the constitution.”
In pictures: India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi
From CNN staff
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's political rise in many ways mirrors India's own path from a newly independent nation freed from the shackles of colonialism to a confident, secure country inching ever closer to superpower status — albeit one wracked by deep and abiding fault lines.
Modi’s official party biography tells the story of a poor boy, the third of six children, whose father was a “chaiwallah” or tea seller, who’d serve customers at the local train station to support his young family.
Promoted by the BJP, analysts say this tale of humble beginnings makes him relatable to hundreds of millions across the country. And it stands in stark contrast to the generations of India’s elite, urban politicians who have historically risen to the top job.
Modi was still a child when he was exposed to the idea of Hindu nationalism through classes at the local branch of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing paramilitary organization that advocates for the establishment of Hindu hegemony within India.
At 17, Modi abandoned his family and his wife, left his village and traversed India with the group in search of a spiritual awakening, according to his biography.He devoted himself to the RSS, never remarried and learned to “leave all the pleasures in life,” according to an interview he gave in 2019.
By 1972, he had become a “pracharak” for the RSS, according to his biography, someone appointed to spread their cause through meetings and public lectures.
Modi joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 1987, when the fringe political party started gaining traction fueled by the rise of Hindu nationalism in India.
One of the BJP’s founders Lal Krishna Advani saw a leader in Modi, giving him immense responsibilities within the party.
Modi thrived under Advani’s guidance, working his way through the ranks of the BJP. In 2001, he was appointed chief minister of the wealthy state of Gujarat.
Under Modi’s governance, the state introduced a wave of infrastructure, industry, and innovation to its arid landscape — making the “Gujarat model” synonymous with development and government efficiency.
Modi’s “Gujarat model” had become a blueprint for India and in 2014, the BJP won by a landslide, crushing the Congress — the party’s worst defeat in more than 100 years of its existence.
In 2019, he roared through polls yet again — this time on a more clearly defined ticket of Hindu supremacy.
Modi was once shunned by the United States.Denied a visa for“severe violations of religious freedom,” he was effectively banned from entering the country for nearly a decade.
But in the nine years since that ban was lifted, Modi has been progressively embraced by the White House — now more than ever.
Who are the ruling party's likely coalition partners?
With early results indicating that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may not win an outright majority, it will be reliant on its coalition partners to form a government.
Those partners include dozens of right-wing parties from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), a BJP-led group that has been in power since his first election in 2014.
Formed in 1998, the NDA was created as an antithesis to India's main opposition, the Indian National Congress. It includes several regional parties, including the Hindu nationalist Shiv Sena, which governs the western state of Maharashtra, and the Janata Dal (United), which has a presence in the country's northeast.
Generally the parties skew right-wing, but not all are as openly Hindu nationalist, with a variety of policies and platforms. Some are very focused on local areas where they draw support.
The alliance's chairmen included former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and co-founder of the BJP L. K. Advani.
Modi's BJP wins a seat in Kerala — the first time the party has done so in the southern state
From CNN's Manveena Suri in New Delhi
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made surprise inroads in the southern state of Kerala.
The victory for BJP candidate Suresh Gopi marks the first time the party has won a seat in the state.
The actor-turned-politician won the seat of Thrissur with 412,338 votes. In second was V.S. Sunil Kumar of the Communist Party of India with 337,652 votes. He beat incumbent T. N. Prathapan of the Congress party.
The state has been run by the Left Democratic Front, an alliance of left-wing parties, since 2016.
The BJP's heartlands are traditionally in India's heavily populated north and it has historically struggled to make inroads into the south.
After a decade dominating Indian politics, Modi may be forced to navigate a new coalition
From CNN's Antoinette Radford
Preliminary results suggest that incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi will win the election, but he will not enjoy the landslide he has in previous elections, CNN’s International correspondent Ivan Watson reported from New Delhi.
Watson said Modi being forced to form a new coalition would be unchartered territory in Indian politics, after a decade where he dominated politics.
He also noted that in India, Modi has cult-like status and today's early results show people are not supporting him as much as they may have been before.
“This was very much seen as a referendum on him. He’s front and center… and a referendum… appears to show that his support has slipped,” Watson said.
Modi headed for 2 days of island meditation as election neared end
From CNN'sKathleen Magramoand Esha Mitra
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi meditated inside an island shrine for two days to cap weeks of election campaigning — his latest public display of religiosity days after proclaiming he wassent by god.
Modi visited the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari, a pilgrimage site off India’s southernmost tip, from May 30 to June 1.
The site is where popular Hindu monk and philosopher Swami Vivekananda attained enlightenment.
Modi has twice ended an election campaign with meditation. But he has recently been making increasingly grand displays of piety, to capitalize on Hindu-nationalist sentiment as he eyes a third consecutive five-year term in power.
“I’m convinced that God has sent me for a purpose, and when that purpose is finished, my work will be done,” Modi said in an interview in May with local news channel NDTV. “God doesn’t reveal his cards. He just keeps making me do things.”
