With the National Democratic Alliance's vote total hovering around 292 as of Tuesday's Lok Sabha vote tallying,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's third term looks all but guaranteed.
The party in opposition, however, has emerged victorious after exceeding even the most modest predictions set by exit polls.
Both Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, the two largest states in the nation, dealt blows to the governing Bharatiya Janata Party.
Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress just avoided a crushing defeat in West Bengal, snatching a victory in the process.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised voters and stated, "Today's victory (is) a victory of world's biggest democracy
He spoke from the BJP's headquarters in Delhi as it became clear that the party will form the new government,
After Jawaharlal Nehru, the country's founding prime minister, Modi will become the second leader to receive a third term