Indian election result: 2014 is Modi's year as BJP secures victory

Eight months after the BJP named him its prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, 63, proved he was worth the opposition the party originally encountered over its decision. Mr Modi has delivered the BJP's best result ever, giving it more than the 272 seats it needs to form a government.  This is the first parliamentary majority by a single party since 1984.

Here's a summary of a big day in Indian politics:

• The Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi has swept to power in India after his Bharatiya Janata Party secured an election victory by an unexpectedly wide margin. The BJP is on course to win on a scale not seen since in an Indian election since 1984.

• Modi declared victory in a tweet which claimed "India has won". He also promised "good days are coming" after a lucratively financed pro-business campaign. The message quickly became India's most retweeted Twitter posting.

• In his a victory speech Modi sought to dispel fears that he would be a divisive figure. "We have a responsibility to take everyone with us," he told an ecstatic rally in his constituency of Vadodara. The hardline Hindu group, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sena, which helped Modi to victory said it would not seek to run his government by "remote control".

• Outgoing prime minister, Manmohan Singh, who had warned that Modi would be a disaster for India, congratulated his anointed successor in a telephone call. Singh's Congress Party slumped to its worst ever election results.

• The result represents a crushing blow for Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi and has raised questions about the future of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. Even in the Amethi constituency, considered a Gandhi stronghold, loyalties were wavering during the campaign. Gandhi said he took responsibility for the defeat. "The Congress has done pretty badly, there is a lot for us to think about. As vice president of the party I hold myself responsible," he told a press conference.

• There were mixed results for India's female regional leaders. In Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa Jayaram's party, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, was leading in 37 of 39 seats. And in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee is reported to have won 34 seats so far. But the controversial chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati Kumari, was facing a wipe out.

India's anti-corruption champion Arvind Kejriwal failed to win a seat. "It was a good start for us for a first election ... but we are disappointed with the results in Delhi," a visibly disappointed Kejriwal told reporters.

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World Youth Conference opens

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will inaugurate the World Conference on Youth (WCF) 2014 at the Magampura Ruhunupura International Conference Centre at 9 a.m. today.

This is the first time that the WYC is being hosted by an Asian country. United Nations General Assembly President Dr. John W. Ashe and UN Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth Ahmad Al Hindawi arrived in Colombo yesterday to participate in the event.

Addressing the media at the Information Department yesterday, National Youth Services Council Chairman and WCY official media spokesman Lalith Piyum Perera said Dr. Ash is the first UN special delegate to visit Sri Lanka after seven years since UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon visited the country for the assessment of tsunami recovery in 2007.

According to the Chairman, 13 Youth Affairs Ministers representing Fiji, Cuba, Ambon, Algeria, Myanmar, Nepal, Afghanistan, Seychelles, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Donga, Crimea and Bulgaria had arrived yesterday. UN regional directors and deputy directors will also be in Sri Lanka for the conference. Youth delegates numbering 375 from 94 countries had already arrived in Sri Lanka. The first International Conference on Youth was held in 1936. Since then, 14 conferences have been held so far. The last was held in Mexico with the participation of 107 countries.

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