Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections is a “win for the world’s biggest democracy”.

The counting of votes is still underway. As per the trends at 9.30 pm, the BJP had won 190 seats and was leading in 50. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance was ahead in 292 seats.

The Congress had won 73 and was leading in 26, while the Opposition INDIA bloc as a whole was ahead in 232 constituencies.

“Today, the NDA [National Democratic Alliance] government is returning to power for a third time,” Modi said in his address to party workers at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi. “We are thankful to the people for their faith in the NDA and the BJP.”

He added that the victory was a “win for the 140 crore people” in the country.

Modi thanked the workers of the Election Commission for “performing their duty in such excessive heat”.

The country has been in the grip of a heatwave over the past few weeks. Several states also reported deaths due to heat-related illnesses.

“Every Indian is proud of the election system and its credibility,” Modi said on Tuesday. “Its efficiency does not have a match anywhere else in the world.”

He also thanked the workers of the Hindutva party for their efforts and said that it inspired him to work for the country.

Modi added that his government would fight to end corruption in the third term. “If India wants to move ahead, it will have to strike hard on corruption,” he added.

Earlier on social media, Modi thanked voters for “placing their faith” in the National Democratic Alliance for a third consecutive time.

“This is a historical feat in India’s history,” Modi said, adding that the National Democratic Alliance would keep working to fulfill people’s aspirations.

Earlier in the day, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, or the INDIA bloc, will decide on Wednesday whether to remain in the Opposition or attempt to form the government at the Centre

In Uttar Pradesh, Modi won the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency for a third consecutive term with a margin of 1,52,513 votes, according to Election Commission data.

The margin of his victory, however, has dropped significantly. The prime minister won the constituency in the 2019 election by a margin of 4,79,505, securing 6,74,664 votes against the Samajwadi Party’s Shalini Yadav. In 2014, he won in Varanasi by a margin of 3,71,784 votes.

This time, Modi was able to secure 6,12,970 votes as against 4,60,457 votes garnered by the Congress’s Ajai Rai.