Incoming Indian leader Narendra Modi told thousands of supporters in one of Hinduism's holiest cities that he represented a break from past governments after winning the nation's biggest electoral mandate in 30 years.
"There's a lot of work that god has put me on this earth for," Mr Modi said today on the banks of the Ganges River in Varanasi, his constituency, after attending an hour-long prayer service at a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction and transformation.
“A lot of it is dirty work, but I am up to the task.”
Thousands of people threw rose petals at Mr Modi’s convoy as it made its way through the streets of Varanasi, with onlookers and security officials taking pictures.
Earlier, he greeted supporters in New Delhi, where his Bharatiya Janata Party said it would nominate him formally for prime minister next week. The outcome, which saw Mr Modi trounce the Gandhi dynasty, boosted stocks and the rupee as investors bet a stable government would make changes needed to bolster growth in the world's largest democracy.
While Mr Modi’s opponents accused him of inflaming tensions between Hindus and a Muslim minority that stem from the country’s founding in 1947, on the campaign trail he pledged to revive Asia’s third-biggest economy.
On the bank of the Ganges, Mr Modi and other BJP leaders performed a ceremony called “aarti,” the final ritual of a Hindu prayer that is conducted as a reminder that god is at the center of life.
Mr Modi softly clapped his hands while listening to Hindu hymns on a stage decorated with marigold garlands. Mr Modi, who had sacred sandalwood paste smeared on his forehead, referred to the river as “Mother Ganges,” which Hindus consider holy. The devout believe bathing in the Ganges cleanses sins.
The BJP and its allies won 333 of 543 seats up for grabs, comfortably more than the 272 needed for a majority, Election Commission data showed.
The Congress group won 59 seats, the worst performance for the party that has governed India for most of its history. Smaller regional parties took 151 seats. The BJP itself won 282 seats, the biggest victory for a single party since Congress got 404 seats in 1984 in the wake of Indira Gandhi's assassination.
The BJP-led bloc received 37 per cent of 551 million ballots cast, compared with 23 per cent for the Congress group and 40 per cent for smaller regional parties, vote tallies show.
Prime minister Manmohan Singh, in a farewell address today, wished Mr Modi success and called on the nation to respect the results. Mr Singh resigned shortly after, capping a 10-year run as India's prime minister, the third-longest tenure in the country's history.
Rahul Gandhi, the son, grandson and great grandson of Indian prime ministers, took responsibility for the defeat. "Congress party has done pretty badly," Mr Gandhi said in New Delhi as he stood alongside his mother, Sonia Gandhi, the party president. "There is a lot for us to think about."
Bloomberg