India election: Modi claims victory but mayfall short of outright majority | BBC News

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has won a thirdconsecutive term in a much tighter general election than anticipated.

His Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may fall short of amajority, despite confident claims that it was heading for a clearcut victory.

The results are a personal blow to Mr Modi, who hasalways secured majorities in elections as both chiefminister of Gujarat state and India's prime ministerand has dominated the country's politics for a decade.

The verdict marks a surprising revival for the CongressParty-led INDIA opposition alliance, defying earlier predictions of its decline.

More than 640 million people voted in a marathonseven-week election, hailed as a "world record" by election authorities.

Reeta Chakrabarti presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Yogita Limaye in Delhi.