Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party has lost its absolute majority in parliament for the first time in 10 years in India's general election.
Although Modi's Bharatiya Janata (Indian People's) Party (BJP) gained the most votes, it will have to rely on its two coalition partners to form a government.
The BJP secured 240 of the 543 seats up for election, according to data released by the Election Commission on Wednesday after all the votes were counted.
However, it remains the strongest force in parliament. Together with their coalition partners, the Hindu nationalists have 292 seats, according to local media analyses, which would allow them to form a government.
It is expected that Modi would will become the second head of government in his country, after Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, to rule for three consecutive terms.
In the previous election in 2019, the BJP won 303 seats on its own - significantly more than the majority of 272 seats required to govern.
Together with its allies, it had 353 seats five years ago, giving it a whopping majority. Before this election, Modi's goal was to increase this majority to more than 400 seats. This overwhelming victory failed to materialize.
Instead, the opposition camp under the leadership of the Congress Party made surprising gains. The Congress Party almost doubled its number of seats compared to the last election in 2019 - from 52 to 99 seats - and remains the second-strongest force. According to local media, its opposition alliance won a total of 234 seats.
The election in the world's most populous democracy lasted more than six weeks. Almost one billion people were eligible to vote - more than the combined population of the European Union and the US. More than 8,000 candidates stood.