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The counting of votes cast by 64.2 crore hopeful Indian voters during the six-week-long 18th <keyword id="19923279" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lok-Sabha-elections" source="keywords">Lok Sabha elections</keyword> officially began at 8 AM today and it is suffice to say that the air is crackling with equal parts excitement and trepidation. Over 700 aspiring parties participated in the world’s largest democratic exercise. But the main duelling parties remain consistent with previous trends: the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (<keyword id="19894848" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP" source="keywords">BJP</keyword>) led by Prime Minister <keyword id="19895781" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi" source="keywords">Narendra Modi</keyword> and the opposition bloc led by the <keyword id="19964138" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-National-Congress" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Indian National Congress" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Indian National Congress">Indian National Congress</keyword> (INC). Modi is shooting for a third, historic win after spending the last ten years in office, but the road ahead does not seem as smooth as anticipated. A political party in India requires at least 272 seats to cross the majority mark in the 543-member lower house of the Indian parliament, the Lok Sabha. The PM has audaciously declared that he is expecting a huge win exceeding 400 seats, the slogan ab ki baar 400 paar is stuck in every Indian’s head — irrespective of their political inclination. The Congress-led India bloc, on the other hand, is aiming for a relatively modest 295. On Saturday, most exit poll surveys predicted 350-370 seats for the BJP and between 107-140 seats for the opposition. However, the early trends are showing a very different picture with the INDIA bloc exceeding expectations in many states. Polls have been off the mark a few times before, but as NDA looks poised to win a third term, albeit with a few last-minute struggles, here’s a look back at the previous elections responsible for Mr Narendra Modi’s unmatchable dominance over <keyword id="20184421" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-politics" source="keywords">Indian politics</keyword>. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Inside BJP’s decade-long winning streak" comment="subhead" text="Inside BJP’s decade-long winning streak">Inside BJP’s decade-long winning streak </cmsannotation>The BJP has come a long way since 1984 when the party won just two seats. Its pro-Hindutva stance pushed it to prominence over the decades, especially in the 1990s. The BJP was in power for a considerable amount of time under Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s leadership at the turn of the century. But the kind of support that Narendra Modi has received since 2014 has been unmatched in the history of modern Indian politics. In 2014, the BJP saw a surprising landslide victory with 282 of the 543 seats. But what factors contributed to its sweeping win with a 31.3% majority? Throughout its campaigning ahead of the general elections that year, the BJP kept stressing its interest in fixing the economy and combating corruption allegedly caused by the Congress party’s rather inept governing. Modi, who called himself a chowkidar or watchman, vowed to set the government and bureaucracy to rights. He promised more jobs for young Indians and even launched a social media campaign to appeal to the younger generation. Many experts suggested that Modi created the brand “NaMo'' for himself through relentless media campaigning, something that <keyword id="19895780" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rahul-gandhi" source="keywords">Rahul Gandhi</keyword> and other major political leaders could not do at the time. Additionally, he is also said to have had the support of the 45,000 country-wide RSS branches — the Hindu cultural nationalist parent of the BJP. However, after the leader had managed to comfortably settle into his new role as the Prime Minister of India, he announced the demonetisation of all ₹500 and ₹1,000 banknotes of the Mahatma Gandhi Series on 8 November 2016. As per a 2018 report from the Reserve Bank of India said that “the effort had failed to remove black money from the economy”. Modi was widely criticised for the way this move impacted the middle-class people of India. Despite this setback as well as criticism against his economic reforms like GST, he continued to implement bold policy changes to strengthen the core economy. His tilt towards a digital economy and seemingly tough actions against corrupt practices received widespread acclaim. He also successfully invoked a strong sense of nationalism and security in the people through the Balakot airstrike, a bombing raid conducted by Indian warplanes in February 2019. And it worked! BJP came to power again in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, this victory being bigger than the last. The BJP won a whopping 37.36% of the vote — the highest by a political party since the 1989 general elections with 303 seats. However, similar to 2019, towards the end of his second term in 2024, joblessness appears to be on the rise and incomes of farmers continue to plummet. Amid major issues like food inflation and the threat of AI to the job market, the ruling party relied on not-so-subtle religious polarisation and a ton of welfare programmes. From being chowkidar in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been depicted to be a saint today by many of his followers. While past leaders in India have tried to hold on to their secular image, Mr Modi has been seen flouting this convention on multiple occasions, expressing that he takes pride in his religion. With crores of followers still supporting him, the PM seems to be already on a path to victory. Only time will tell if the struggles during the last phases of this year’s election will come back to haunt him. In the meantime, stay tuned to Business Insider India for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/elections/lok-sabha-election-results-2024-live-counting-begins-at-8-am-as-bjp-led-nda-hopes-for-a-historic-third-term/articleshow/110685785.cms">more updates on the Lok Sabha elections 2024</a>.

As PM Modi awaits his third big win, here’s how BJP created history during the 2014 & 2019 Lok Sabha elections

55-year old Imran is a watchman in one of the residential buildings in suburban Mumbai. He sleeps on the same chair he sits on to guard the building and uses the common toilet in the parking lot to clean up. He works two shifts a day of 12 hours each, for a total salary of ₹13,500. If he had worked one shift a day, he would have got ₹7,000 a month and would have had to find himself an accommodation. He would rather send nearly all his earnings to his family in a village in Uttar Pradesh than rent a room in Mumbai. Imran was blissfully unaware of the ongoing trend on Twitter where leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and their supporters have prefixed the word 'chowkidar' to their profile names. Chowkidar is the Hindi word for watchman or security guard and it has since become a buzzword on social media. When told about his humble job being at the centre of the country's political discourse ahead of the elections, Imran's first reaction was that of amusement. "Wasn't it chaiwala the last time?" he asked with a smirk and thinly veiled sarcasm. 'Chaiwala' is what Indians call the local tea vendor in Hindi. Modi's claim to fame in the run up to the 2014 elections was that he had worked in his father's tea stall in Gujarat as a child. He used his humble origins effectively as he challenged the country's political royalty-- the Gandhi family which has sent three Prime Ministers in the past-- and caught the fancy of an aspiring voter base. At the same time, a series of corruption charges against the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) tilted the scale further in Modi's favour and the BJP swept the elections with a majority in Lok Sabha, the lower house of Indian Parliament. This was the first time any party had managed to score a full majority in India's Parliamentary elections since 1984. Modi is banking once again on a strategy that worked for him five years ago. The word 'chowkidar' has been bandied around by BJP leaders pitching Modi as a man of strength but someone who lacks political pedigree. That can hardly be true for a person who has been a politician for over two decades, a chief minister for three terms, and currently, the prime minister seeking re-election. The playbook-- underdog versus the entitled-- is as old as time but no one has claimed the 'underdog' tag effectively after the first surprise. But Modi is giving it another shot And in this battle of catchphrases, Modi may have an upper hand over his rivals. First of all, the move has either distracted or diluted the debate on more pressing issues like the economy, policies, and unemployment. Modi's rivals are essentially talking about things that he wants them to talk about. While charging the government with corruption, senior Congress leaders have tweeted '<keyword id="6895071" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chowkidar-chor-hai">chowkidar chor hai</keyword>' or 'the watchman is the thief'. However, by referring to Modi as the watchman repeatedly, even in slander, the opposition is unwittingly fortifying the image he wants: a strongman of a humble background who is guarding the country not just from adversaries across the borders but also keeping a watch on home-grown muggers looking for a way out to safety. For example, the opposition is mocking Modi citing the government's failure to stop billionaire fugitives like Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, and Mehul Choksi with unpaid loans and alleged bank frauds to their name from leaving the country. However, even if one of the three are nabbed ahead of the elections, it will be forgotten that each of the three businessmen, with close ties to the BJP in the past, did mysteriously escape from the country. The time spent on countering the chowkidar claim could have been used to question the government on its economic blunders like demonetisation, the troubles of the small enterprises, and the rise in unemployment in the last five years. In the run up to the 2014 elections as well as in every state election thereafter wherever the BJP was the challenger, Modi had, in no uncertain terms, demanded an account of the incumbent government's performance. He would set the agenda and let the party in power respond. The strategy has been so successful that BJP is now in power in 17 out 29 Indian states. Instead of holding him to account for the last five years, his rivals are following Modi's lead in political rhetoric. This hollow, partisan, inconsequential, farcical political debate is a lost opportunity for the opposition. Over a 1,300 kilometres away from Mumbai in Gurgaon, Kabir (name changed on request), gets paid ₹15,000 for a 12-hour shift as a watchman. That's more than twice that of Imran, but it's still not enough for him to run a family comfortably. Kabir had seen the rhetoric around watchmen in India on news television and he saw hope. "The PM is one of us and he will improve our working conditions after he wins the elections," he said. In the words of Emily Dickinson, hope is the thing with feathers. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/elections-2019-latest-opinion-poll-pegs-unemployment-as-the-biggest-issue/articleshow/68475510.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">Modi may not take the fall for rising unemployment in India, latest opinion poll shows</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/general-elections-2019-vvpat-how-to-verify-vote/articleshow/68475130.cms">Here’s how you can verify your vote using VVPAT</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/is-indias-2019-election-really-a-foregone-conclusion/articleshow/68423465.cms">Is India's 2019 election really a foregone conclusion?</a>

The humble security guard at the centre of India’s election debate is a sign that Modi is still setting the agenda

<ul><ul class="summary-list "><li>At least 207 people are dead and 450 others have been injured after a series of explosions hit churches and hotels in <keyword id="6355572" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="sri-lanka">Sri Lanka</keyword>.</li><li>The churches were bombed as worshippers attended Easter Sunday service.</li><li>The hotels targeted are among the most luxurious in Sri Lanka's capital. 35 foreigners have been killed, <a href="https://www.afp.com/en/news/15/blasts-sri-lanka-hotels-and-churches-kill-156-doc-1ft48d4">AFP cited hospital sources as saying</a>. Eight explosions in various locations have now been reported. </li></ul></ul>At least 207 people were killed in a series of blasts on Easter Sunday Blasts in Sri Lanka, targeting three churches and three hotels. As of 1 pm, more than 400 people were wounded and hospitalized, reported Reuters. 
 
 
 
 
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 AFP news agency quoting Sri Lankan Police said the toll in <keyword id="7550956" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="sri-lanka-blasts">Sri Lanka blasts</keyword> had risen to 156, including 35 foreigners. The blasts took place at three churches located at Kochchikade, Negombo and Batticaloa. The three hotels that were targeted are located in Colombo, and include Shangri La Colombo, Cinnamon Grand Colombo, and Kingsbury Hotel, according to media reports. The Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has urged the people to remain strong and united in the tragic time. The Prime Minister is reportedly going to conduct a national security council meeting at his house. 
 
 
 
 
 
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 Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, in a special message read out on local news channels, has requested the people to remain calm and help the authorities in the investigation. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condemned the attack and said the country stands in solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 Indian President Ram Nath Kovind also condemned the attack. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 St. Sebastian’s church, which was among the target, posted pictures showing destructions and bloodshed after the blast on its Facebook Page and urged people to help. The post read “A bomb attack to our church please come and help if your family members are there” No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks. Several peace messages "Pray For Sri Lanka" were trending on social media. Messages and prayers also poured in from celebrities. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 Former Sri Lankan captain of the cricket team, <keyword id="79577" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Angelo-Mathews">Angelo Mathews</keyword> in a recent tweet has requested people to not to believe in rumors. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 A travel advisory had been issued by the US embassy in Colombo advising citizens to follow local security instructions and “exercise extreme caution.” External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Sunday that she was in touch with the Indian High Commissioner in Colombo as six explosions hit churches and hotels in Sri Lanka, killing at least 20 people. "Colombo - I am in constant touch with Indian High Commissioner in Colombo. We are keeping a close watch on the situation," the Minister said in a tweet. 
	
	
	
	
	
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="golrizghahraman" handlename="Golriz Ghahraman" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1035120828780707840/PRgmSRXp_normal.jpg" favoritecount="121" retweetcount="22" status="Devastated for Sri Lanka, especially the targeted Christian community. In a nation who has seen so much violence an… https://t.co/a3297hWuYK" createdat="1555826450000" id="1119843413006774272"></div>
















	
	
	
	
	
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="AJEnglish" handlename="Al Jazeera English" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/875638617606987776/YBOKib96_normal.jpg" favoritecount="595" retweetcount="614" status="BREAKING: Multiple blasts hit Sri Lanka churches and hotels on Easter Sunday https://t.co/3Xn6pRk0kU https://t.co/FHAHmOUr4N" createdat="1555824930000" id="1119837039392899073"></div>















 Helpline numbers for Indian citizens in need of assistance or who seek clarification are: +94777903082, +94112422788, +94112422789, +94777902082 and +94772234176. With IANS

Easter Sunday Blasts: Deadly explosion kills 207, Sri Lankan Prime Minister urges people to stay united and strong

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As PM Modi awaits his third big win, here’s how BJP created history during the 2014 & 2019 Lok Sabha elections

Ashmita Gupta

The humble security guard at the centre of India’s election debate is a sign that Modi is still setting the agenda

Sriram Iyer

Easter Sunday Blasts: Deadly explosion kills 207, Sri Lankan Prime Minister urges people to stay united and strong

BI India Bureau

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