Cherylann Mollan,BBC News, Mumbai
![Getty Images NEW DELHI, INDIA - MAY 22: Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an election rally in Dwarka for the BJP Lok Sabha candidates, on May 22, 2024 in New Delhi](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/969b/live/895d6ef0-1e55-11ef-986e-85bf00bd2d82.jpg.webp)
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to win a fourth consecutive term in office, exit polls suggest.
Experts warn the elections, released by various news firms, have often been bad in the past and are not objective.
However, they have placed Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) as the frontrunner in the general election.
In a brutal battle that spanned seven polling stages, the BJP, the main opposition party, and local rivals.
Benefits will be announced on 4 June.
A celebration or alliance needs 272 seats in parliament to form a state.
The BJP led- coalition, the National Democratic Alliance ( NDA ), will cross this target- according to exit polls.
If Mr. Modi is elected, he will be the next prime minister to serve three words in a row. The first to do so was Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s second PM.
![Getty Images VARANASI, INDIA - FEBRUARY 17: India's Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi (sitting atop a vehicle, wearing white) takes part in a roadshow as part of his 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' (India Come Together Anew Tour) on February 17, 2024 in Varanasi, India](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/03a1/live/3aafd4f0-1e55-11ef-986e-85bf00bd2d82.jpg.webp)
What are the exit surveys saying?
Prime Minister Modi entered this election with a resounding majority of votes, but Rahul Gandhi, the head of the Indian National Congress, and a coalition of opposition parties gained considerable support throughout the course of the campaign.
A total of six exit polls are then forecasting significant gets for the BJP-led NDA, but for surveys are not always trustworthy.
Though the specific statistics vary, they predict that the NDA may get 367 tickets.
The INDIA alliance is expected to find 143 tickets.
On its own, the BJP may get 327 seats, never quite meeting its 370- chair target.
![Getty Images Supporters of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hold cut-outs of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an election campaign rally in New Delhi on May 18, 2024, ahead of the fifth phase of polling in the ongoing country's general election. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP) (Photo by ARUN SANKAR/AFP via Getty Images)](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/05be/live/6361c520-1e55-11ef-986e-85bf00bd2d82.jpg.webp)
A really great vote
India is the world’s most populous country, with 1.4 billion people, and holding a nationwide election is nothing short of a Herculean task.
Some 969 million people were ready to put their vote, which is similar to the communities of the US, Russia, Japan, Britain, Brazil, France and Belgium.
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What made stories this vote?
Polling for the poll, which concluded just days before, began on 19 April.
The season was marked by fiery speeches by politicians (some of them controversial), numerous rallies, diatribes, jibes and propaganda as political parties looked to outsmart their opponents – on the ground and even online.
And there wasn’t a dearth of headline-making incidents. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest in a liquor policy case days before polling began drew sharp criticism from opposition leaders and even sections of the media.
Criticism officials accused the BJP of trying to silence foes and deny them a level playing field, which the BJP denies.
On May 10, a jury acquitted Mr. Kejriwal of his election campaigning. But, he has to return to prison on 2 June.
The election was also overshadowed by reports of politicians and party workers tampering with voting machines, Muslims being denied their right to vote in some areas and parties flouting the Model Code of Conduct – guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to ensure free and fair elections.
Opposition leaders even allege that the ECI has refuted the commission’s claim that it has not followed up their grievances against the BJP.
![Getty Images NEW DELHI, INDIA - MAY 25: Voters seen standing in queues to cast their vote during the sixth phase of Loksabha Elections at a polling station at Rajiv Nagar on May 25, 2024 in New Delhi, India. Polling for the sixth phase of general elections concluded in 58 constituencies across six states and two Union territories, including all seven seats in Delhi. Voter turnout across six states and two Union Territories during Phase 6 polling has been recorded at approximately 58.84 per cent, according to the Voter Turnout App of the Election Commission. (Photo by Sanchit Khanna/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/a1e6/live/76e30e60-1e55-11ef-986e-85bf00bd2d82.jpg.webp)
What did citizens voting for this election?
The opening of the Ram church, which was one of the BJP’s biggest surveys promises this vote, and the administration’s welfare schemes are expected to gain the ruling group.
However, many voters ‘ thoughts were also centered on the high unemployment rate and rising prices, particularly for food and fuel.
The opposition, activists, and international organizations allege that Indian democracy is in danger as a result of the election. It may have had an impact on how people cast their ballots.