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Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed a third term in office on Tuesday as early results in India’s general election delivered a far narrower than expected victory for the country’s most powerful leader in generations.
Mr. Modi, who would be only the second Indian leader to secure a third consecutive term, hailed “a historical feat in India’s history,” even as his party appeared likely to lose a significant number of seats in Parliament, meaning it would need to rely on smaller parties in its coalition to form a government.
The outcome was a surprising setback for Mr. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, which exit polls had suggested would again win an outright majority on its own. The B.J.P. was still set to win a plurality of parliamentary seats.