KABUL - President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Thursday congratulated Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his party’s massive victory in the general elections.
Ghani said the government and the people of Afghanistan looked forward to expanding cooperation between the two democracies in pursuit of regional cooperation, peace and prosperity for all of South Asia.
“Congratulations to PM @narendramodi on a strong mandate from the people of India. The government and the people of Afghanistan look forward to expanding cooperation between our two democracies in pursuit of regional cooperation, peace and prosperity for all of South Asia,” he said in a tweet.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi swept to a huge election victory on Thursday, on course to increase his majority and give his BJP party the mandate to pursue business-friendly policies that put Hindus first and take a hard line on national security, according to the Express Tribune.
Official data from India’s Election Commission shows Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) is ahead on 298 of the 542 seats available, up from the 282 seats it won in 2014 and more than 272 seats are needed for a majority in the lower house of parliament.
That would give it the first back-to-back majority for a single party since 1984. The main opposition Congress Party was ahead on 52 seats, figures showed.
Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, also a senior BJP leader, said on Twitter the BJP had won a “massive victory”, while Amarinder Singh, a senior Congress leader, said that party had “lost the battle” for power. (Pajhwok)