Narendra Modi claimed victory as India's next prime minister Friday, helping India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party acclaim majority of the parliament seats.
As the leads poured in on Friday morning, it was clear that the BJP is steaming ahead to its biggest victory in 30 years. This, after losing two elections in a row - the party was able to mop up only 116 seats in 2009, CNN reported.
Modi, 63, has pledged reforms to revive the nation's flagging economy. He is viewed as pro-business.
Modi, a former tea seller, sprang into the national spotlight for his work in Gujarat, where he cultivated an image of a man who gets things done, according to CNN.
Manmohan Singh, India's outgoing Prime Minister, will tender his resignation to the nation's President on Saturday, said Singh's spokesman, Pankaj Pachauri.
Singh had called Modi to congratulate him on his "party's victory," the Prime Minister's official Twitter account tweeted.
Indian National Congress Party, which has been dominant since the country's independence in 1947, has shaped the modern character of India.
Having defeated the Congress Party, analysts predict Modi's arrival in India's top office will bring a marked change in direction for the world's most populous democracy.
Modi's victory had long been anticipated, as polls indicated a slump in support for the ruling Indian National Congress Party, which has been dogged by high-profile corruption scandals amid stubborn inflation and a slowed economy, CNN reported.
"Trends indicate a victory for the opposition alliance," Congress Party spokesman Randeep Surjewala told CNN. "We bow before the wishes of the people of India with all humility. We will continue to play the role assigned to us. We will try with greater vigor and determination to work with the large populace of this country."
Modi, who served as chief minister since 2001 in Gujarat, had his supporters celebrate outside the party's office and in the streets of Gujarat.
Modi tweeted: "Good days are here to come."
At a news conference, BJP chief Rajnath Singh declared, "Till some time ago, it was said India's success story is over. Now, the time has come to rewrite India's success story."
