Indian Prime Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Narendra Modi. Photo: Sanjay Kanojia/AFP/Getty Images
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on track to increase his majority in India's general election Thursday. Modi posted a celebratory tweet, saying, "Together we will build a strong and inclusive India. India wins yet again!"
Details: Election Commission data showed Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead in contests for 299 out of 542 seats in the lower house of Parliament, with rival the Indian National Congress leading in 50 races, AP reports. Final results are due by Thursday evening.
Why it matters: The world's largest-ever exercise in democracy was seen by many as a referendum on Modi. The voters seem to have given him the first back-to-back majority for a single party since 1984, per Reuters.
The big picture: Take a look in pictures at moments from the election, in which 900 million registered voters cast their ballots over 7 phases from April 11 to May 19, to vote counting day.
A BJP supporter celebrates the poll results in Patna, northeast India.
Supporters and party workers of the BJP celebrate on the vote results day for India's general election in Bangalore. Photo: Manjunath Kiran/AFP/Getty Images
BJP supporters celebrate the election result in Siliguri, northeast India.
Nuns from the Mother Teresa Missionaries of Charities queue to cast their votes in Kolkata. Photo: Amit Datta/AFP/Getty Images
Indian election officials show an open Electronic Voting Machine to counting agents in Faridabad, northern India. Photo: Money Sharma/AFP/Getty Images
Sweet shops prepare laddus on orders from political candidates in Patna, northeast India, ahead of poll results. Photo: A P Dube/Hindustan Times via Getty Images
Voters at a polling station in Amoni village in northeast India. Photo: Biju Boro/AFP/Getty Images
An Indian National Congress party election rally in Bandanwara, in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Photo: Shaukat Ahmed/AFP/Getty Images
Indian voters queue to cast their votes in the Ghoramara island. Photo: Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP/Getty Images
An Indian Sadhu (Hindu holy man) voter in Uttar Pradesh state. Photo: Sanjay Kanojia/AFP/Getty Images
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