Democracy has won, says India's Modi in victory speech

Friday, 24 May 2019 08:37

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has thanked voters for giving him a "historic mandate".

During his victory speech at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in New Delhi, Modi said "India wins yet again" and thanked the people for their support.

"We all want a new India. I want to bow down my head and say thank you."

He pledged to devote every moment of his life to make the country "strong by 2022".

Late on Thursday, main opposition leader Rahul Gandhi conceded defeat.

Votes are still being counted, but Election Commission data projected Modi's BJP to win 300 seats on its own.

The final tally is expected by Friday morning.

More from International News

'Ghost particle' hunter Francis Halzen wins 2026 Nobel Physics Prize

Belgian-American particle physicist Francis Halzen won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics for ground-breaking work creating an observatory to detect some of the universe's most elusive particles, high-energy neutrinos, and how they are created.
Saudi Arabia says 2 airports targeted as fighting with Yemen's Houthis escalates

Saudi Arabia's airports in Jazan and Najran were targeted in two attacks on Monday evening, injuring three people and causing limited damage, the Saudi aviation authority said, as hostilities between the kingdom and Houthis escalated.
Indian opposition marches in protest seeking resignation of election chief

Dozens of Indian opposition lawmakers began a march on Tuesday seeking the resignation of the election chief over a controversial revision of voter lists, as hundreds of security personnel kept vigil in the heart of the Indian capital and barricades were thrown up.
Cornell students stage rally in support of 'Jane Doe'

Cornell University students have staged a mass rally on Monday, voicing solidarity with a classmate whose gang-abuse allegations have ignited a national uproar and demanding that the Ivy League school take firmer action against sexual abuse on campus.
Dozens quarantined in Siberia after plague institute lab worker dies

A laboratory worker at a plague research institute in Siberia has fallen ill and died in undisclosed circumstances, prompting authorities to quarantine dozens of people and the head of Russia's health watchdog to fly to the Irkutsk region.

On Virgin Radio today

Ride Home With Brent Black
2:00pm - 6:00pm

Brent Black has the biggest stories of the day and the stuff you might have missed.
The Kris Fade Show's Hour of Power
6:00pm - 7:00pm

An extra hour of the UAE's biggest radio show for your drive home.