But his victory fell short of expectations. The NDA won 292 seats combined, far behind his bullish target of 400 seats. Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alone secured 240 seats, falling short of the 272 needed to win an outright majority in parliament.

The opposition emerged with a poignant campaign that resonated with the realities on the ground, lambasting the BJP's divisive tactics and inability to control growing unemployment. With poignant fervor, it spotlighted the grim reality of attacks on minorities and the pernicious specter of anti-Muslim rhetoric emanating from certain quarters of BJP loyalists.

In addition to the opposition’s incisive campaign, the credit for Modi’s poor electoral showing goes to the stagnant manufacturing progress and a surging unemployment rate that pose major hurdles to sustained economic growth.

To retain his grip on power, Modi must now urgently tackle these pressing economic concerns. According to the latest report by the International Labour Organization (ILO), India’s unemployment rate has stood at around 7-8 percent in recent years.

The problem is predominant among youths.

In 2022, the share of unemployed youths in the unemployed population was 82.9 percent. The share of educated youths among all unemployed people increased from 54.2 percent in 2000 to 65.7 percent in 2022.