By BBC team
When Narendra Modi set his sights on a barnstorming victory – 400 out of 543 seats for his alliance – few scoffed at the ambition.
After all, the Indian prime minister and his BJP have been a largely unstoppable force since coming to power a decade ago.
But while Mr Modi and his alliance are on course to win a majority, it is not quite the untouchable win he and his allies envisioned when counting began this morning.
Below, BBC correspondents in India give their thoughts on why we arrived at results few expected – and what it could mean for the world’s largest democracy going forward.
Questions over use of ‘Hindu card’ as a campaign tool
Religion is a factor in every Indian election, and this one was no different.
Mr Modi inaugurated a Hindu temple at a controversial site that had been disputed between Hindus and Muslims in January and this was expected to give his party a big boost during the election.
But no one quite expected the BJP’s campaign to be as polarising as it was – or for some of the most aggressive comments to come from the very top.
This story was originally published in bbc.com. Read the full story here.
