Finally the Lok Sabha Election results were out on 16th May and the results were very surprising. The exit polls had already predicted a victory for the BJP, but such a thumping victory was the surprising element for the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is a very significant result as it is the first time in 30 years that a single party has won the majority alone. This also marks the end of coalition government era. With this, the people have already built up the hope for a new and better India.
The emphatic victory of Narendra Modi was celebrated not only in India but also in the various parts of the world, in different countries, among the Indian community.
It was a festive mood everywhere. It seemed as if the Indians were celebrating some important festival. Chandrakant Patel, President of Overseas Friends of the BJP, declared it as “Diwali moment for us”. And indeed on 16th May early Diwali was celebrated.
In the USA the mood was festive and full of excitement. The USA has one of the largest Gujarati population. Indian Americans here celebrated the win by lighting up diyas and taking out processions. In many cities in the USA, the BJP supporters had held “election watch parties”.
India becoming important to the world was more realised when the live counting was streamed on the screens of the busy Times Square in New York. In New Jersey the Indian street was closed for general parking on 16th May, so that it would be easier for the people to celebrate the victory. People smeared each other with colours and danced the night away. Sweets were distributed among people; New Modi Thali has been introduced in the various Gujarati restaurants. Even the Modi kurtas have gone up for sale in the various Indian shops. This was just a glimpse of the popularity of Narendra Modi among the Indian diaspora.
In Atlanta, an NGO called Global Indians for Bharat Vikas, run by Dhiru Shah, organised an event 2014 Bharat-BJP-NAMO Victory to congratulate Narendra Modi. More than 100 NRIs attended the event. They gathered together to celebrate India’s historic epoch win in the general elections. They wished Modi well and hoped that under his leadership India will rise to a strong economically and socially developed country.
Even in countries like Australia the victory celebrations went all night long. Many Indians staying in various countries have decided to put up big screens to watch live Modi’s swearing in as he accepts the mantle for the top position as the new Prime Minister of the world’s largest democratic country.
In countries like Canada and other parts of Asia, where there is substantial amount of Indian population, people visited each other’s house to celebrate the win. There were discussions wherever a few Indians met. The only topic of discussion was Modi and his win.
Meanwhile, the congratulatory messages for Narendra Modi flowed from the various quarters of the world. The US President Barack Obama broke the ice between the US and Modi by congratulating Modi on his historic win. He invited him to Washington and expressed his wish to work with him and strengthen the ties between both the countries.
The British Prime Minister David Cameron also wished Modi on his success. Also to join the list were Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. They all wished Modi and the BJP party for their win.
Congratulatory messages also came from the opposition party. George Abraham, chairman of the Indian National Overseas Congress (INOC) also congratulated the BJP party. He said, “The people of India have spoken and they have thrown in their lot with BJP-led NDA and their verdict ought to be respected by all”. He also added, “It is also a tribute to India that has proven beyond any doubt that it is a vibrant democracy that facilitates a peaceful transition of power [...].”
But in a few countries there is not much excitement on the Modi win. In the Arab countries, Indian diaspora have a mixed reaction. Under Narendra Modi’s leadership, while some see this as a hope for a new India, others still have the fear of being marginalised for being the minority. This is the main reason why the NRIs living in the Gulf countries are not very upbeat on the election results.
But overall this victory of Narendra Modi has been marked as a global progress of India along with socio-economic development, giving hope to the NRIs as well as the people of India for a strong India.
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