Narendra Modi’s mother expresses confidence about her son leading nation towards development

Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's mother, Hiraben, on Friday expressed both confidence and hope for her son leading the nation towards development.

Hiraben told reporters here: "He (Narendra Modi) has my blessings and he will lead India's development."

Latest results aired on television channels show the opposition National Democratic Alliance leading in 295 seats (+ 157), UPA leading in 77 seats (-146) and others leading in 144 (-11) The leads are available for 516 out of the 543 seats that are up for grabs.

Counting of votes to elect representatives to the 16th Lok Sabha and four State Assemblies – Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim – began at 8 a.m. this morning amid tight security.

The exit polls have projected that the BJP and its allies would touch the half-way mark in the 543-member Lok Sabha. Most polls show the incumbent UPA regime getting between 101 and 148 seats.