Exit polls point to a crushing victory for Narendra Modi

AFTER WEEKS of feverish campaigning, voting ended in India’s general election at 6pm local time on June 1st. But it took just 30 minutes for another frenzy to kick in. As a ban on the release of exit-poll data was lifted, media outlets rushed to dissect the findings from a handful of pollsters. They all point to a sweeping victory by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and a third term for Narendra Modi, the prime minister. (The official results are reported on June 4th.)

Soon after the polls were released Mr Modi thanked his party workers and proclaimed, “I can say with confidence that the people of India have voted in record numbers to reelect the…government. They have seen our track record and the manner in which our work has brought about a qualitative change in the lives of the poor, marginalised and downtrodden”. Mr Modi also dismissed the opposition as “casteist, communal and corrupt”.