With all of India’s 640 million votes counted following the six-week-long election, the world’s – and history’s – largest democratic exercise has thrown up some big surprises.
The governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi won 240 seats, falling short of the 272-mark that signifies a majority in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India’s Parliament, which has 543 seats in all. With its allies, the BJP has still secured a majority, winning 293 seats.
