In a surprising turn of events, Narendra Modi is set to become India's prime minister for a third term, despite facing a significant decrease in his majority following the recent general elections. The announcement came after a meeting with his National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Wednesday.

At 73 years old, Modi found himself unexpectedly relying on smaller parties within the NDA to secure a parliamentary majority after his own party fell short of the required 272 seats. The opposition, which won 232 seats compared to the NDA's 293, has yet to formally concede defeat and was holding their own meeting to discuss next steps.

Modi's swearing-in ceremony for a record-equalling third term is expected to take place later this week. His Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the largest party in the Lok Sabha, India's lower house, with 240 seats. However, this is a significant reduction from the 303 seats won by the BJP in 2019, and falls short of Modi's goal of securing 370 seats this time around.

To form a government, Modi has had to rely on NDA coalition partners. An NDA release stated that he was unanimously chosen as their leader, with a commitment to serving the marginalized sections of society. The details of any concessions given by the BJP to its partners remain undisclosed, but ministerial positions were speculated to be among the demands.

This is the first time that Modi will be governing in a coalition with his party holding an outright majority. The next five years present a period of uncertainty, as it remains to be seen how this alliance will navigate governance. Political analyst Nilanajan Mukhopadhyay suggested that this situation will force Modi to consider the viewpoints of others, potentially leading to a more democratic and inclusive parliament.

In contrast, the opposition INDIA coalition celebrated the election results, despite not securing victory. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge remarked on the overwhelming support received by the alliance, stating that voters had sent a message against the BJP's "politics of hate, corruption, and deprivation." Kharge emphasized the mandate as a defense of India's Constitution and against rising prices, unemployment, and crony capitalism.

Following the NDA's declaration of victory, the White House extended congratulations to Modi and expressed a desire to work with India to ensure a free and open Asia. This year's Indian election witnessed the largest voter turnout in history, with over 600 million people casting their votes, accounting for 66% of eligible voters. Registration numbers surpassed one billion, making up about one-eighth of the global population.

The seven-stage election, which faced logistical and security challenges, took place between April 19 and June 1. Notably, much of the election process took place amidst extreme and deadly heat, with temperatures soaring to nearly 50 degrees Celsius in certain regions of India.