NEW DEHLI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was preparing on Thursday to be sworn in for a third term after an unexpectedly close election that forced his party into a coalition government.

Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had ruled for the past decade with an outright majority, had been expecting another landslide win.

But results of the six-week election released on Tuesday ran counter to exit polls, seeing the BJP lose its majority and sending it into quick-fire talks to lock in an alliance that would allow it to govern.

That 15-member grouping the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition announced late on Wednesday that they had agreed to form a government.

“We all unanimously choose respected NDA leader Narendra Modi as our leader,” a BJP-issued alliance statement said.

The alliance has 293 seats in parliament, giving it control of the 543-seat body. Indian media reports said Modi would be sworn in as prime minister on Saturday.

While Modi faces a more complicated political environment at home, he won the plaudits of leaders from around the world.

US President Joe Biden congratulated Modi on his coalition’s victory, and the State Department said the United States hoped to work with the Hindu nationalist leader on a “free and open” Asia.

“The friendship between our nations is only growing as we unlock a shared future of unlimited potential,” Biden wrote on X, the former Twitter.

French President Emmanuel Macron also congratulated his “dear friend”.

“Together we will continue strengthening the strategic partnership that unites India and France,” Macron wrote on X.

Rival China congratulated Modi and said it was “ready to work” with its neighbour.

Russia and Japan also applauded the win, as did Britain’s Rishi Sunak, his country’s first Hindu prime minister, and European Union chief Charles Michel.

Modi, 73, insisted on Tuesday night that the election results were a victory that ensured he would continue his agenda.

“Our third term will be one of big decisions and the country will write a new chapter of development,” Modi told a crowd of cheering supporters in the capital New Delhi after his win. “This is Modi’s guarantee.”