Live updates of 2019 Indian election results

Follow SBS Hindi for live updates on the 2019 Indian election results. All times are Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST). India's seven-phase general election billed as the world's biggest democratic exercise began on April 11 and ended on Sunday. Results are likely to be clear in the next few hours. A political party needs 272 seats to command a majority in the 545-member lower house of the Indian parliament.

Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi Source: SBS

5:07 pm: India's Home Minister Rajnath Singh congratulates PM Modi. Calls the results an 'outcome of Modiji's visionary leadership'.

5 pm: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to meet BJP workers at their party headquarters at 5:30 pm (IST) on Thursday.

4:45 pm: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) is all set for a historic landslide election victory.

The vote count till 4.45 pm (AEST) on Thursday showed the National Democratic Alliance (BJP and allies) leading in 335 of 543 seats, indicating a landslide verdict for the ruling party.

Source: NDTV

4: 02 pm: Congress Party's senior leaders - Jyotiraditya Scindia and Milind Deora, both trailing in Guna and Mumbai South, respectively.

Source: Twitter

3:55 pm: India’s Minister of External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj has congratulated Indian PM Narendra Modi for leading BJP to victory.

3:45 pm: BJP leading in all seven Delhi Loksabha seats. The party has gained in Odisha,  Karnataka, Bihar and West Bengal according to early trends. Party workers were seen celebrating in Bengaluru, Karnataka and in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. 

Former cricketer turned politician, Gautam Gambhir is fighting the elections for BJP from East Delhi seat. Source: Twitter

3:35 pm: Latest trends show BJP plus allies leading in 325 seats, Congress and allies leading in 104 seats and the non-aligned parties leading in 113 seats. A political party needs 272 seats to command a majority in the 545-member lower house of the Indian parliament.

Source: NDTV Source: NDTV

3:12 pm: Bombay stock exchange (BSE) Sensex surges over 900 points to hit 40,000 mark for the first time as leads show a second term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Bombay Stock Exchange building, in Mumbai, India, 02 December 2014. Source: AAP

2:55 pm: BJP's Pragya Thakur is ahead of the Congress' Digvijaya Singh in Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency.

Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, a newly elected BJP MP, faces a terrorism charge over a 2008 attack near a mosque that killed six people. She denies the charges. Source: Twitter

2:50 pm: Congress president Rahul Gandhi is fighting a close battle in Amethi against BJP's Smriti Irani. He was trailing earlier but he has caught up now.

Rahul Gandhi is also contesting from Wayanad in Kerala, where he has been leading since morning.

Rahul Gandhi is a stronger contender in this election than the previous one. Source: NurPhoto

2:30 pm: Early trends suggest a big swing in favour of BJP in the state of West Bengal. Leading in 18 of 42 seats in the state.

Source: NDTV Source: NDTV

2:21 pm: Bollywood actor-turned-politician Sunny Deol leading in Gurdaspur, Punjab.

BJP candidate Sunny Deol during a political rally in Gurdaspur. Source: Twitter

2 pm: BJP crosses the half-way mark of 272 in early trends.

Source: NDTV Source: NDTV

1:56 pm: Congress President Rahul Gandhi is trailing in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh against BJP's Smriti Irani. Mr Gandhi, who is also contesting from Wayanad, Kerala, is leading in the seat.

Rahul Ghandi. Source: EPA Images

1:30 pm: One hour into counting, here is how it looks like. BJP leading in 230+ seats, Congress leading in 90+ seats and non-aligned parties leading in 70+ seats.

Source: NDTV Source: NDTV

1:23 pm: BJP's Pragya Thakur leading in Bhopal by almost 3,000 votes.

1:21 pm: Robert Vadra tweets 'all the best'.

1:13 pm: BJP President Amit Shah leading by 25,000 votes in Gandhinagar.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President, Amit Shah (R) at party headquarters in New Delhi, India, 15 May 2018. Source: AAP Image/ EPA/RAJAT GUPTA

1 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking re-election from Varanasi, is leading.

Source: Twitter/Narendra Modi

12:58 pm: BJP and allies leading in 121 of 543 seats.

Source: NDTV Source: NDTV

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with National Democratic Alliance (NDA) members on Wednesday.

12: 53 pm: Counting underway at Siri Fort complex in Delhi.

12:48 pm: BJP and allies leading.

Source: NDTV Source: NDTV

12:45 pm: Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) has asked over 20,000 karyakartas (volunteers) to reach its headquarters in New Delhi.

12:43 pm: Counting begins with postal ballots. 

12.30 pm: Counting of votes for begins.