As of 5:30pm (1200 GMT) on Friday, the NDA had won two seats and was leading in 204 out of 243, while the opposition Mahagathabandhan, or the Grand Alliance, with the Indian National Congress and the regional Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) as the main parties, was leading in just 33 seats, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which is currently not part of either alliance, was leading in one seat.
For the last month, Indian police have raided multiple markets and homes, arresting Muslim men in states governed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist party. Some of their homes have been bulldozed. The genesis of their alleged crime is common: writing, I Love Muhammad, a reference to Prophet Muhammad, on posters, t-shirts, or in social media posts. The authorities say the expression is threatening public order.