Garlanded Modi thanks BJP party workers and supporters ahead of victory rally

Описание: (17 May 2014) Thousands of cheering supporters welcomed India's next prime minister on his arrival in the capital on Saturday after leading his party to a staggering victory in national elections.
Standing on the footboard of his SUV, Narendra Modi flashed a victory sign as he drove past jubilant supporters outside the New Delhi airport, heading toward the headquarters of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to discuss the formation of a new government.
The party's offices in the heart of the capital were festooned with garlands made of marigold flowers and multicoloured balloons.
Supporters blew conch shells, which traditionally mark the start of most Hindu rituals and chanted "Long live Narendra Modi!"
As he walked toward the office, Modi was showered with rose petals.
"All the BJP supporters, with their sweat and hard work, have once again made the lotus bloom in Delhi," Modi told the crowd of supporters.
Modi and his BJP wiped out the Congress party that dominated Indian politics for all but a decade since the country gained freedom from British rule in 1947.
By Saturday morning, of the 521 seats declared, the BJP had won 279 seats and led in three more.
The Congress won 43 seats and led in one in the 543-strong Lok Sabha, or lower house of Indian Parliament.
The last time any single party won a majority in India was in 1984, when the Congress party swept more than 400 seats following the assassination of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

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