'Nathji should take the moral responsibility for the defeat as he is chief minister and most importantly the state party chief as well', a Congress leader said.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said he would approach the Congress high command over Navjot Singh Sidhu's remarks on the sacrilege issue during sacrilege.
Educational institutions have been closed and the curfew was imposed in places in Kashmir as a precautionary measure, following the Thursday incident, officials said.
State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said India's elections are the world's largest exercise in democracy, a marvel of logistics and planning with 900 million people – an eighth of the world's population – eligible to vote.
With the elections establishing the 68-year-old Narendra Modi as the most popular leader in decades, the BJP and its allies in the National Democratic Alliance(NDA) are poised to clinch around 350 seats as against their previous 336.
The US looks forward to work with the newly-elected Indian government to continue to accelerate the strategic partnership, which includes cooperation on a range of critical issues such as counter-terrorism.
People have started discussing if the Congress chief, as an Opposition MP, would be able to bring developments as promised, during his poll campaign, in the constituency nestled in the Western Ghats.
Noting the "severe setback in these elections", the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) said it has decided to introspect and draw lessons from it.
The security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Dadsara area of Tral in south Kashmir district this evening following specific information about the presence of militants there, a police official said.
Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee's house and the street leading to her residence in South Kolkata's Kalighat wore a deserted look on Thursday with counting trends showing a big increase in the BJP's numbers and a consequent decrease in the ruling party's tally of seats.
In the end, BJP's prediction in the final stages of campaigning of 'ab ki baar 300 paar' appeared coming true, as Congress President Rahul Gandhi's campaign slogan of 'chowkidar chor hai' found no resonance among voters
Political pundits say Amit Shah has used a skilful mix of ideological firmness, unlimited political imagination and realpolitik flexibility to keep the BJP ahead of the game.
The DMK-led front, which also comprises Congress and the IUML, is set for a clean sweep and is poised to win 37 of 38 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu with the lone seat appearing to go to the AIADMK.
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