Summary

  • The governing BJP of Narendra Modi has swept back to victory with a resounding majority of well over 300 seats

  • The re-elected PM said his party would "never give up" on its ideals and culture

  • Opposition Congress president Rahul Gandhi accepted defeat and congratulated the prime minister on his win

  • The election was seen as a referendum on Mr Modi, a polarising figure adored by many but also blamed for divisions

  • With 900 million eligible voters, the election for India's lower house of parliament was the largest vote the world had seen

  • More than 2,000 parties and 8,000 candidates are contesting 543 seats. A party or coalition needs at least 272 MPs to form a government

Live Reporting

Ayeshea Perera, Aparna Alluri, Krutika Pathi, Simon Fraser, Vikas Pandey, Courtney Subramanian, Kevin Ponniah and Gareth Evans

  1. How do you count hundreds of millions of votes?

    India had 900 million eligible voters and though all of them didn’t participate in this election, there’s still a LOT of votes to be counted!

    So how does it work?

    First, the Electronic Voting Machines or EVMs which were used to cast votes are brought out from secure rooms and unsealed. They are then individually inspected by counting staff and agents. The process is overseen by a returning officer.

    When he or she is satisfied a voting machine has not been tampered with, they press a button marked "result".

    EVM

    The officer assesses the total number of votes recorded against each candidate displayed on the control unit. If satisfied, he or she will sign the results sheet and share it with the election commission.

    The EVMs are counted in batches, and results released in phases. The media report the results in real time as they emerge. Final results on the Election Commission website come later.

    All the machines now have printers producing voter-verifiable paper audit trails to ensure transparency.

    The authorities will tally the paper trail slips - which are kept in separate sealed boxes - and compare them with the electronic result provided by the machine in at least 5% of polling booths. Election officials say this process could delay final results by a couple of hours.

  2. And here's a snapshot of the Congress office

    Our correspondent Zubair Ahmed is at the picturesque headquarters of India's main opposition Congress party in Delhi.

    Congress

  3. The ruling party office is a hive of activity...

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  4. Outside a counting centre in a big ticket state

    BBC Hindi correspondent Salman Ravi is outside a counting centre in the eastern city of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta).

    The city is the capital of West Bengal state, which sends the third highest number of MPs (42) to parliament.

    The current chief minister is Mamata Banerjee, a hugely popular and fiery female leader whose relationship with Prime Minister Modi has become increasingly testy.

    It looks like the counting, set to begin at 08:00 IST (02:30 GST), will take place under tight security.

    Security outside counting centre
    Security outside counting centre
    Counting centre in Kolkata
    Counting centre in Kolkata

  5. Will the exit polls prove right?

    Will the exit polls which all saw easy wins for the the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) prove right today?

    The highest poll prediction for the alliance was 365 seats, and the lowest 242. An average of all exit polls gave the NDA 295 seats.

    Any party or coalition needs at least 272 seats to secure a majority in parliament and form a government.

    Police personnel on alert outside strong rooms near a counting hall in Delhi.Getty Images

    However, analysts warn exit polls have often been wrong in the past.

    The BJP has of course, welcomed the prediction and many of its leaders congratulated party workers' efforts on social media.

    However, many opposition parties dismissed the polls outright, to which the BJP replied, "accept defeat with grace".

  6. Your guide to the Indian election

    If you want to understand what’s going on - like who’s competing and the key issues at stake - check out our really simple guide to the Indian election.

    For something a bit more in-depth, try this explainer by our India correspondent Soutik Biswas.

    And if you want to know more about the voting process, check out this video:

    India election 2019: How do Indians vote?

  7. A report from the heartland of Indian politics

    Geeta Pandey
    Editor, women and social affairs India

    I’m in Lucknow in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh - the "bellwether state" of Indian politics.

    It’s believed that whoever wins India’s most populous state, wins the country. Uttar Pradesh sends 80 MPs to parliament, more than any other state.

    Also eight of India's 14 prime ministers are from here.

    India votersGetty Images

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is originally from Gujarat, also chose Uttar Pradesh to make his debut as an MP in 2014 when he stood for election in the ancient city of Varanasi.

    The BJP’s performance in the state then was nothing less than dramatic - it won 73 seats.

    The question everyone is asking now is can they replicate that performance this time around as well?

  8. The big day is here!

    Six weeks, 677 parties and 8,049 candidates in 543 constituencies, 900 million eligible voters... this is the largest election the world has ever seen.

    And it all comes down to today.

    The counting of hundreds of millions of votes begins at 08:00 local time [02:30 GMT] and in a few hours we will find out who is going to form India’s next government.

    We will be bringing you reports from our correspondents around the country, expert analysis, video and much more. Stay tuned!