BJP to clinch victory in early vote counting in India

A man walks past the headquarters of India's Congress party in New Delhi May 16, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

NEW DELHI -- India's opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is believed to secure a sweeping victory in the general election on Friday, as the vote counting shows.

The counting going half way Friday showed the BJP has won 220 seats compared with 60 by the Congress, most likely to win over 300 seats in the 543-seat Lok Sabha or Lower House of Parliament to don an majority power.

The next Indian government, to be led by Narendra Modi, will be the most powerful one since Indira Gandhi, said analysts.

Through a humiliating defeat for the Congress, the voters are venting anger over the policy impotence and failure of the Manmohan Singh government and the party leadership with Nehru- Gandhi family at the helm, analysts said.