Early results in India's general election put opposition leader Narendra Modi on course for an absolute majority on Friday, handing him an unfettered mandate to launch his agenda to revive growth and create jobs.
Partial counts showed Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies leading in 309 seats out of 543 being contested. The ruling Congress party alliance was ahead in just 72, according to NDTV news.