This….I didn’t see coming. A genuine surprise.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party is poised to lose its majority in parliament, forcing him to rely on allies to form a government. It’s a stunning blow to a leader who has dominated Indian politics since he first took power a decade ago.

Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party was leading in 241 seats, short of the 272 needed to form a government and well behind the 303 it won in the 2019 election. The opposition bloc, known as the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, was on course to win more than 220 seats, the results showed.

Modi now needs to secure the support of two key members of his broader National Democratic Alliance who control some 30 seats — enough to flip the balance of power in parliament. Leaders of those two parties have a history of switching sides, and only joined up with Modi a few months ago, making it unclear whether they will stick with him or back the opposition bloc.

bloomberg.com