India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed victory for a third term on Tuesday, he said in a statement on social media, AFP reported.

"People have placed their faith in NDA (National Democratic Alliance) for a third consecutive time", Modi wrote on social media platform X. "This is a historical feat in India's history."

The election commission declared Modi elected with 612,970 votes, more than 152,000 ahead of the nearest of his six rivals.

Commentators and exit polls had projected an overwhelming victory for Modi, whose campaign wooed the Hindu majority to the worry of the country's 200-million-plus Muslim community, deepening concerns over minority rights.

But for the first time in a decade Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) failed to secure an overall majority of its own, figures from the election commission showed, meaning it would need to rely on its alliance partners.

India has placed its faith in the ruling coalition "for a third consecutive time", Modi wrote on social media platform X, referring to the BJP and its allies.

"We will continue the good work done in the last decade to keep fulfilling the aspirations of people."

bd-pratidin/GR