The election race in the country was between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as its leader, and the Indian National Development Comprehensive Alliance (INDIA), a coalition of more than 30 opposition parties.
Vote counting is ongoing, but according to the results so far, the NDA has won 272 seats in the 543-seat parliament. INDIA's number of seats remained at 188. It is necessary to win 272 seats in parliament to form a government.
Indian Prime Minister Modi: "God has sent me for a purpose"
Political commentators say Modi may have to rely on his allies to form a government.
Country scorched by heat, dozens dead
More than 50 people have died in India due to the severe heat that has been affecting parts of the country for the last three days. A senior election official said at least 33 polling officials died of heatstroke on the last day of voting.
The Hindu nationalist BJP has been in power since 2014. Opposition parties say freedoms will be curtailed if Modi and his party win another election. Opposition politicians fear that a possible two-thirds majority in parliament could allow major changes to the constitution.
