Four major exit polls have pegged Narendra Modi to be the next prime minister of India.
The campaign has been a lengthy one. Reuters reported that Indian elections are a five week process, in which security forces visit 815 million voters, in staggered groups.
Last Monday, when the Indian election process wrapped up, Modi was considered the front runner. It appears now that he and his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, will indeed form the next government of the world’s largest democracy.
Yesterday Modi released a statement on his blog calling the elections “cool and rightly so!” He added, “One needs to log in to Facebook or Twitter on polling day to see the number of Selfies my young friends are sharing. This is a very positive sign and I hope it continues in the times to come.”
Due to social media, lies & false promises of several leaders could not go beyond the podiums of their rallies! More power to social media.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 12, 2014
Unfortunately violence has marred the coolness of the elections. The Hindustan Times reported that four villagers in Bengal were shot during a ideological clash. Modi spoke of the violence on his blog stating: “It is unfortunate that we witnessed some untoward incidents during the poll process during which some lives were lost. I salute all those who were unfortunately martyred and offer my deepest condolences to their families. These brave individuals lived and died for democracy. It is our duty to ensure that their sacrifices do not go in vain.”
World leaders like U.S. President Barack Obama are heralding the change in government, according to AFP. “We look forward to the formation of a new government once election results are announced and to working closely with India’s next administration to make the coming years equally transformative,” the president said, calling the elections “a vibrant demonstration of our shared values of diversity and freedom”.
Image via Wikimedia Commons
