India's election – the world's largest

Supporters of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi danced, sang and rejoiced as celebrations erupted throughout India over his thumping victory in the country's general elections. There were media reports mentioning 'carnival-style' celebrations outside the BJP's headquarters in New Delhi.

According to early results, the BJP won at least 272 of the seats needed for a parliamentary majority, while the ruling Congress party was headed for its worst-ever defeat. If confirmed, this would be the first parliamentary majority by a single party in 30 years. India's triumphant Hindu nationalists lead by Modi (seen here) declared "a new era" in the world's biggest democracy.

The biggest election in history got underway on April 7. The vote to elect the representatives to the 545-member lower house of the Indian parliament took place in nine phases staggered over five weeks. A record of more than 500 million ballots were cast from the Himalayas in the north to the tropical south, with voters braving blistering heat for a record 66 percent turnout.

The ruling Congress party-led UPA coalition - which had been in power for the past ten years - and the opposition BJP-led NDA bloc were the two major political alliances competing. The BJP had declared Modi, the 63-year-old chief minister of the state of Gujarat, its prime ministerial candidate. After the BJP victory, Modi is now set to become India's next PM.

Modi's chief rival was Rahul Gandhi, the 43-year-old vice president of the Congress party and scion of the Gandhi family. But opinion polls had already shown voters had turned against the party due to several corruption scandals, inflation and economic slowdown. Both Rahul and his mother, Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi, admitted personal responsibility for the poor election results.

The recently formed Aam Aadmi party (AAP), which ran on an anti-corruption plank, had become a major force in Indian politics. The AAP, led by Arvind Kejriwal, had made a surprisingly strong debut in its first electoral outing in Delhi's regional poll last year. Although there were similar expectations at the national level, the party took a drubbing at the polls this time around.

There were also a string of regional parties and leaders hoping to play a major role on the national stage. Some of these outfits had joined hands to form the "Third Front," aiming to offer voters an alternative to the established parties. But if, as expected, Modi's BJP wins the 272-seat majority needed to create a government, it won't need to form a coalition with smaller parties.

India is home to a third of the world's poor while being the 10th-biggest economy globally. Surveys showed voters were fed up with corruption and worried about jobs and price rises. Modi and the BJP went into the election with strong momentum on promises of economic expansion, pointing to the 'Gujarat model' which Modi is said to have facilitated during his tenure as the state's chief minister.

Polling was by and large peaceful, but on March 11, Maoist rebels opposed to the elections killed at least seven police officers in an attack in the central state of Chhattisgarh. Violence also flared in Indian-controlled Kashmir on the penultimate day of voting, with an explosion in a polling booth injuring a soldier. Three other troops were wounded when suspected militants fired at them.

The Congress Party had pointed towards Modi's alleged role during the 2002 Gujarat communal riots. Gandhi had criticized the Gujarat government for "abetting the riots," although courts in India had cleared Modi of any wrongdoing. Congress had repeatedly warned the country could see violence between the Hindu majority and Muslim minority, if the BJP took power.

On May 12, the final polling day, there were 41 seats up for grabs in three states. But all eyes were set on the constituency of Varanasi where Narendra Modi sought a personal mandate. Modi, the first prime ministerial candidate to stand and win in the Hindu holy city, had been challenged by AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, among others.

The prime minister-in-waiting faces challenges on several fronts as expectations on a BJP-led government are high. Among those are tackling the rampant corruption in the country, reviving economic growth, creating new jobs for India's youth, reforming the tax system and reducing the growing gap between rich and poor.