Modi's party retains Indian mega-state

A firebrand monk and poster boy of Hindu nationalism retained power in India's most populous state Thursday, in a triumph for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party.

Partial results gave the BJP 202 seats, a majority in the Uttar Pradesh state parliament, the election commission website showed. The party was also leading in 53 of the 99 still to declare.

The victory strengthens local BJP chief Yogi Adityanath's chances of eventually succeeding Modi as an even more divisive prime minister of the world's largest democracy.

The BJP is the first party since 1985 to retain power in the state of more than 200 million people, albeit with a reduced majority.

It was a "historic victory", Adityanath tweeted after addressing celebrating supporters in state capital Lucknow, attributing it to "the good governance, security, nationalism and the heartwarming guidance of respected PM Narendra Modi".

The BJP, helped by its deep pockets and influence on social media -- including through misinformation, according to fact-checking organisations -- also held the other three states where it was the incumbent.

In the last of the five polls being held, Punjab, the opposition Congress -- the only other pan-national party -- was crushed by the left-leaning Aam Aadmi Party in a humiliating defeat.

At the BJP national headquarters in New Delhi, Modi said pundits would proclaim the results had "sealed the fate" of the next general election, due in 2024.

Uttar Pradesh, home to more people than Brazil, is India's biggest state-level political prize, sending the most MPs to the national parliament.

Adityanath's sectarian rhetoric -- coupled with a hardline approach on crime and claims of economic performance in one of India's poorest states -- proved a vote winner, experts said.