Vote Count Underway as Narendra Modi's BJP Leads in Indian General Elections

India's ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, has surpassed the 272-seat threshold needed for winning the country's general elections, the Indian Election Commission said on Thursday, citing preliminary results of the vote.

Over 600 million people have reportedly voted in the marathon six-week long process.

The Election Commission started counting the ballots at 8:00 am local time (02:30 GMT) after the end of the voting and is expected to announce the final results of the elections later on Thursday.

So far, the results show BJP is set to win about 300 of the parliament's 542 seats. Gandhi's Congress Party is expected to take 51 seats.