The result represents a stunning vote of confidence in Modi, a charismatic and polarizing politician who is part of a crop of right- leaning populist leaders around the globe. 

Official results showed Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, on track to win 303 seats in Parliament, well above the 272-seat majority mark. No Indian prime minister has returned to power with a similar mandate in nearly five decades. The size of Modi's victory was unexpected, surpassing his party's winning performance in 2014.

The vote is a "mandate for a new India," Modi told hundreds of cheering supporters on Thursday night after they showered him with flower petals. "If someone has won today, it's the country. If someone has won today, it's this democracy."

The son of a tea seller, Modi first swept to power five years ago on a desire for change and a belief that he could transform this country of more than 1.3 billion people, unshackling the economy and creating millions of jobs.