In India’s last general election, in 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party won 303 of 543 parliamentary seats — nearly six times as many as the main opposition party, the Indian National Congress. But early election results on Tuesday indicated a far stronger showing than expected for the Congress. “Whatever the final results, one thing is clear — it is a moral victory for Congress and our leader Rahul Gandhi, and defeat for B.J.P.,” said Robin Michael, a political worker, referring to Mr. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. While there was no indication that Congress and the opposition coalition it leads would scrape together a majority to unseat Mr. Modi, party workers said that they had dented Mr. Modi’s aura of invincibility. They praised Mr. Gandhi, the Congress party’s most prominent figure and a great-grandson of Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first post-independence prime minister.

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Persons: Narendra Modi’s, jubilation, Rahul Gandhi, ”, Robin Michael, Modi’s, Mr, Modi, Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s Organizations: Indian National Congress, Congress, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party Locations: New Delhi