Congress party wins Indian elections

Congress - known as the Grand Old Party of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty - crushed the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, despite a slowing economy, last November's three-day siege of Mumbai, and a controversial nuclear deal with Washington that nearly brought down the ruling coalition last year.

The results of marathon five-phase polls in this nation of 1.2 billion people defied analysts' predictions that regional and smaller parties would outdo the two main parties. The poorest showing was for the once powerful communist party and others that had rejected the US civilian nuclear deal, along with those that had been slow to embrace economic reforms that have helped India's international status soar

"We have given this country a strong, stable government at a time when the world is danger. Today, we stand as one nation," Singh told reporters.

At his party's headquarters in New Delhi, celebrations quickly got underway. Smoke from firecrackers formed puffy clouds, supporters danced in the streets to drums and ate ice pops in the shape of a hand - the party's symbol - while shouting: "Singh is King" in the 110 degree heat.

By early evening, Singh's incumbent Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government was predicted to win 254 seats in the 543-seat Parliament, and the BJP-led alliance could take 156, according to news channels. The BJP is led by L.K. Advani, 81, nicknamed the "Iron Man" for his tough stance on security.

"We accept this verdict of the people," senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said at the party's sober headquarters in the capital, where a trickle of supporters napped in the midday sun.

The Congress alliance is predicted to fall 20 to 30 seats short of the 272 seats required for a majority.

But Congress was expected to easily draw those alliances from regional parties.

A key US ally, India faces security concerns over rising instability in South Asia and is surrounded by unstable countries, including Pakistan, where the Taliban's reach is spreading; Nepal, where a Maoist-led government has collapsed; and Sri Lanka. Tensions between India and Pakistan rose dramatically after the attack in Mumbai last year.

Using what specialists called "the terror card," the BJP touted itself as a "strong leader, with decisive government." Campaign ads showed Advani, a white-haired octogenarian, pumping iron at the gym. His party also launched India's largest ever Internet and text messaging campaign.

But the Congress party appears to have benefited from five successive years of near-double digit growth, a slate of loan waivers for farmers, cheap rice, and work programs that targeted India's vast rural areas, where a majority of Indians live and most villagers say they care more about schools than security.

"It's jai ho for the country. It's jai ho for the poor. It's jai ho for Manmohan Singh," said Digvijay Singh, Congress general secretary, using a slogan that the party purchased the rights to from the Oscar-winning song from the film "Slumdog Millionaire." Jai ho is Hindi for "Let there be victory."

Congress made sweeping gains, most notably in India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, where Mayawati, the Dalit chief minister had in the past trounced Congress by building a party based on the country's lowest untouchable caste and high-caste Brahmins. Some pundits had predicted she could become the next prime minister if the two main parties did not get enough votes.

But many Dalits said they have been angered by allegations of corruption and her fondness for spending money on her own birthday parties and on statues of herself.

"It's simple: Mayawati didn't put in the work she was supposed to. She was spending money on erecting numerous statues, and inaugurate them by proxy while sitting in an office. It is unacceptable," said V.K. Bajaj, owner of Today's Chanakya, a poll analysis agency.