Swaraj congratulates Modi for 'big win'

Senior BJP leader and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and thanked the people on the BJP's "big victory" in the Lok Sabha polls. Riding on a massive Modi wave sweeping through most parts of India, the BJP was set to return to power as it led in 295 seats while the Congress trailed far behind with 50, according to trends released Thursday by the Election Commission for all 542 seats that went to polls.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- Many Congratulations for securing such a big victory for the BJP. I am thankful to the people," Swaraj tweeted. With its allies, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance could win 343 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha. In the last election, the NDA had 336 seats while BJP accounted for 282.