NEW DELHI, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi got a shot in the arm when his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won four states -- Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, in the election results that came in till late Thursday night.
One state, Punjab, went to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the current ruling party in Delhi as the country's main opposition Indian National Congress (INC) couldn't show much presence.
Final results were compiled by the Election Commission of India (ECI) and put up on its official website late Thursday night. According to the ECI's official data, the BJP won 255 Assembly constituencies out of the total 403 in Uttar Pradesh, 47 of the 70 in Uttarakhand, 20 of the 40 in Goa, and 32 of the 60 in Manipur.
The encouraging results of the BJP, the main ruling party in India since 2014, is seen as an outcome of Modi's pro-poor "public welfare schemes," especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when the federal government distributed free food to the economically weaker sections of the society. Besides, the Modi government ensured free COVID-19 vaccines to different groups of the country's population.
The latest victories of the BJP are also seen as a stamp on Modi's anti-corruption programs and policies.
Addressing a gathering at BJP headquarters in Delhi in a victory celebration Thursday night, Modi said, "We have tried to reach out to the last person in our society with our welfare schemes. We have found ways and means to weed out corruption, and we wish to make India a strong nation."
Meanwhile, the AAP (Common Man Party) won a whopping 92 Assembly constituencies out of the total 117 in Punjab. During its electioneering the AAP had promised to the people of Punjab to begin a new form of developmental politics in the state, wherein the focus would be laid on improving health and education facilities, besides ensuring a corruption-free economy.
