Narendra Modi is set to become India’s next prime minister.<br /><br />Partial results suggest the opposition leader’s Bharatiya Janata Party will win the most decisive general election victory the country has seen in decades<br /><br />The pro-business, Hindu nationalist BJP has exceeded the 272-seat majority needed to create a government without forming a coalition.<br /><br />News of the expected win has driven shares to all-time highs and the rupee is at its strongest level against the dollar in 11 months.<br /><br />Speaking on Friday, Modi thanked the Indian people.<br /><br />“I thank all of you from my heart and I salute all of you,” he said. “You have all carried out a great responsibility.”<br /><br />The election result will be a crushing blow to the Congress party, led by the Nehru-Gandhi family, which has dominated Indian politics since independence.<br /><br />“This verdict is absolutely against our party. We respect the people’s verdict with humility,” said Congress party chief, Sonia Gandhi.<br /><br />More than 550 million people voted in the nine-phase, five-week-long ballot.<br /><br />The turnout at 66.38 percent broke previous records. Full results are expected by Saturday morning, but a landslide win for Modi is all but guaranteed. <br /><br />Both businesses and India’s youth backed the BJP leader following an election campaign which focussed on reducing bureaucracy, creating jobs and promoting investment.
