New Delhi (CNN) -- Narendra Modi, the leader of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, claimed victory as India's next Prime Minister on Friday, bringing to power a man whose controversial past at one point led the United States to deny him a visa.

Official results show his party winning at least 275 of 543 parliamentary seats, bringing a clear majority, according to the India Election Commission.

It's the first time in three decades that India's 540 million voters delivered a resounding mandate to a single party to rule the world's second-most populous nation.

Fractured electoral verdicts leading to coalition governments had been common in India since 1989.

Manmohan Singh, India's outgoing Prime Minister, called Modi to congratulate him on his "party's victory," said Singh's Twitter page.

Viewed as pro-business, Modi, 63, has pledged reforms to revive the nation's flagging economy.

But his past is not without controversy. Throughout his campaign, his relationship with the country's huge Muslim minority came under scrutiny.

In 2002, Gujarat state was wracked with anti-Muslim violence, in which more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed.

Modi, the state's chief minister, was criticized for not doing enough to halt the violence, but a Supreme Court-ordered investigation absolved him of blame last year.

Analysts predict his arrival in India's top office will bring a marked change in direction for the world's most populous democracy, a nation whose modern character has been defined by the defeated Indian National Congress Party, which has been dominant since the country's independence in 1947.

Modi's victory had long been anticipated, as polls indicated a slump in support for the ruling Congress Party, which has been dogged by high-profile corruption scandals amid stubborn inflation and a slowed economy.

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's relationship with the rest of the world

The United States denied Modi a visa over the anti-Muslim violence in 2005, suggesting a strained relationship between the United States and India's next Prime Minister.

But President Barack Obama called Modi to congratulate him on winning the election and to invite him to Washington, according to the White House.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry also congratulated Modi, saying in a tweet that he looks forward to "growing shared prosperity." State Department officials told CNN that Modi will be given a visa to the United States once he takes office and forms a government.

The tensions between Modi and the United States in the past could have an impact on relations during his term, said Arati Jerath, an analyst and journalist in India.

"There is a feeling that Narendra Modi will be much more pro-China than pro-U.S., and that could be rooted to the fact that he's had this tension with the United States over his visa, whereas the Chinese laid out the red carpet for him," Jerath said.

Modi's ascent to the national stage

Celebrations broke out as updates from the five-week-long election were released throughout the day. Modi's supporters sang, danced, played music, threw flowers and even brought elephants into the mix as initial results indicated a huge lead for the BJP. Supporters celebrated outside the party's office and in the streets in Gujarat, where Modi has served as chief minister since 2001.

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."

India's potential for growth was once mentioned in the same breath as that of China. But the world's second-most populous nation has not delivered.

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.

Gujarat, a state of some 60 million people, has seen China-like rates of growth in recent years, which have been eyed enviously by the rest of the country. The "Gujarat model" of development means a focus on infrastructure, urbanization and eradicating red tape.

India's stock market surged Friday as initial results suggested a huge lead for Modi and his party.

UK Foreign Minister William Hague congratulated Modi and his party, saying Britain looked "forward to forging an even closer partnership with India."

New Delhi (CNN) -- Narendra Modi, pemimpin partai Hindu nasionalis Bharatiya Janata Party, mengumumkan kemenangannya sebagai Perdana Menteri India yang baru pada hari Jumat, membawa seorang tokoh kontroversial (sampai-sampai sempat ditolak visanya ke AS) ke tampuk kekuasaan.

Hasil resmi pemilu menunjukkan partainya memnangkan 275 dari 543 kursi parlemen, membuatnya mendapat mayoritas kursi parlemen menurut KPU India.

Hal tersebut adalah pertama kalinya terjadi di India selama tiga dekade terakhir dimana satu partai mendapat matortas kursi dan bukan merupakan hasil koalisi partai.

Sebelumnya, semenjak 1989 hasil pemilu selalu terpecah dan menghasilkan pemerintahan hasil koalisi partai.

Manmohan Singh, Perdana Menteri India yang akan segera turun mengucapkan selamat kepada Modi atas kemenangan partai BJP, dikutip dari twitter Singh.

Modi, 63, dipandang sebagai tokoh yang pro-bisnis sudah berjanji untuk menghidupkan kembali ekonomi India yang melambat.

Namun masa lalunya bukan tanpa kontroversi. Selama masa kampanyenya, hubungannya dengan minoritas Muslim yang cukup besar mendapat banyak pemeriksaan.

Pada tahun 2002, negara bagian Gujarat mengalami kerusuhan anti-muslim, dimana 1.000 orang yang kebanyakan muslim menjadi korban tewas.

Modi yang pada waktu itu adalah gubernur negara bagian dikritik karena lambat dan dianggap kurang dalam mengatasi kerusuhan tersebut, namun hasil investigasi Mahkamah Agung India membebaskan Modi dari segala tuduhan tahun lalu.

Analis memperkirakan naiknya Modi ke kursi PM akan membawa perubahan yang berarti kepada masa depan India yang merupakan negara demokrasi terbesar di dunia. Sebuah negara yang selama ini diarahkan oleh Indian National Congress Party yang baru saja dikalahkan Modi, dimana Partai Congress adalah partai yang dominan sejak kemerdekaan India pada tahun 1947.

Kemenangan Modi telah lama diantisipasi, dimana hasil polling mengindikasi kemerosotan dukungan untuk partai Congress yang diterpa skandal korupsi, inflasi tinggi, dan ekonomi yang lambat.

Jurubicara partai Congress Randeep Surjewala berkata kepada CNN, "Kita menghormati hasil keputusan rakyat India dengan segala kerendahan hati. Kami akan tetap memainkan peranan kami ke depan. Kami akan mencoba dengan semangat dan ketetapan yang lebih besar untuk bekerja dengan rakyat."

Hubungan Modi dengan seluruh dunia

AS menolak untuk memberikan visa kepada Modi karena kerusuhan anti-muslim tahun 2005, mengindikasikan hubungan yang tegang antara AS dan PM India yang baru.

Namun Presiden Obama menghubungi Modi untuk mengucapkan selamat atas kemenangannya dalam pemilu dan mengundangnya ke Washington menurut Gedung Putih.

Menu AS John Kerry juga mengucapkan selamat atas kemenangan Modi, dalam twitternya dia mengharapkan "kemakmuran bersama yang semakin besar." Pejabat menlu AS mengatakan bahwa Modi akan diberi visa ke AS pada waktu dia menjabat dan membentuk pemerintahan.

Ketegangan antara Modi dan AS di masa lalu dapat mempengaruhi relasi selama masa jabatannya, kata Arati Jerath, seorang analis dan jurnalis India.

"Ada feeling bahwa Modi akan lebih pro-China ketimbang pro-AS, dan hal tersebut bermula dari ketegangannya dengan AS atas masalah visanya, dimana China justru membentangkan red carpet untuk Modi," kata Jerath.

Kenaikan Modi di panggung nasional

Perayaan pecah dimana-mana di tengah keluarnya update atas hasil pemilu sepanjang hari kemarin. Pendukung Modi bernyanyi, menari, maminkan musik, melemparkan bunga bahkan membawa gajah de dalam perayaan atas hasil kemenangan BJP. Pendukung merayakan hasil pemilu di luar kantor partai dan jalan-jalan di Gujarat, tempat Modi menjabat gubernur negara bagian sejak 2001.

Dalam konferensi persnya, ketua BJP mendeklarasikan, "Sampai beberapa saat yang lalu, banyak yang mengatakan bahwa keajaiban ekonomi India sudah selesai. Sekarang adalah saatnya untuk memulai kembali kisah kebangkitan India." "

India's potential for growth was once mentioned in the same breath as that of China. But the world's second-most populous nation has not delivered.

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.

Gujarat, a state of some 60 million people, has seen China-like rates of growth in recent years, which have been eyed enviously by the rest of the country. The "Gujarat model" of development means a focus on infrastructure, urbanization and eradicating red tape.

India's stock market surged Friday as initial results suggested a huge lead for Modi and his party.

UK Foreign Minister William Hague congratulated Modi and his party, saying Britain looked "forward to forging an even closer partnership with India."

(CNN) -- What will Narendra Modi's India look like?
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Modi and Muslims

The greatest concerns about a Modi premiership revolve around his ability, as a hardline Hindu nationalist, to lead a country as culturally and religiously diverse as India.

Since he was a boy -- the third of six children born to a family of grocers in the city of Vadnagar -- Modi has been a supporter of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing pro-Hindu social movement.

His track record with India's 180 million-strong Muslim community, the country's second largest religious group, has come under intense scrutiny.

Less than a year after Modi assumed office in Gujarat in late 2001, the state was wracked with anti-Muslim violence, in which more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed.

Modi was criticized for not doing enough to halt the violence, but a Supreme Court-ordered investigation absolved him of blame last year. Modi subsequently expressed regret over the riots but was criticized for not apologizing.

The U.S. State Department denied Modi a visa in 2005 over the issue, and has since not said how it will handle a future visa application from him.

The tensions are not merely a relic of the past. As recently as September last year, more than 60 people were killed and tens of thousands displaced in religious riots in the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh state. Most of the affected were Muslims.
Internationally, he would be a little more hardline on everything -- Pakistan, China, America. Indian interests would be aggressively asserted
Mohan Guruswamy, analyst

Hundal notes that during the election campaign, Modi appeared alongside associates including a Gujarati politician who made inflammatory speeches speaking of "revenge" for the 2002 riots and called on voters to reject parties with Muslim candidates.

Amid what many see as a rising tide of intolerance drummed up by Hindu nationalist groups, some Muslims fear what a Modi-led government means for their community.

"We all remember what he did in Gujarat," one unnamed Muslim man told CNN. "For Muslims, Modi represents death."

Jerath said she saw religious tensions becoming more inflamed under Modi's leadership. "I see these Hindu groups getting much more active; I think there will be renewed agitation to build the temple at Ayodhya."

Ayodhya, in Uttar Pradesh, is the site of plot of land that has been the subject of a longstanding dispute between Hindus and Muslims. Hindu hardliners destroyed an historic mosque on the site during a political rally in 1992, triggering riots across the country in which more than 2,000 people were killed.
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Modi dan muslim

Kecemasan terbesar tentang kepemimpinan Modi dalam kemampuannya adalah sebagai nasionalis Hindu garis keras, untuk memimpin negara India yang kaya akan keragaman budaya dan agama.

Sejak Modi remaja (merupakan anak ketiga dari enam bersaudara yang dilahirkan di keluarga pedagang di kota Vadnagar), Modi merupakan anggota Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), sebuah organisasi Hindu sayap kanan.

Track recor-nya dengan komunitas muslim India yang berjumlah 180 juta yang merupakan umat beragama kedua terbesar kedua di India mendapat perhatian serius.

Kurang dari setahun setelah Modi menjabat sebagai gubernur negara bagian Gujarat pada akhir tahun 2001, negara bagian tersebut dilanda kerusuhan anti-muslim dimana lebih dari 1.000 orang yang kebanyakan muslim dibunuh.

Modi dikritik karena tidak melakukan hal yang cukup untuk menghentikan kerusuhan, namuan investigasi yang dilakukan Mahkamah Agung India membebaskannya dari segala tuduhan tahun lalu. Modi selanjutnya mengungkapkan penyesalannya atas kerusuhan yang terjadi namun menolak untuk meminta maaf.

Kemenlu AS menolak untuk memberikan visa kepada Modi pada tahun 2005 karena peristiwa kerusuhan tersebut, dan belum menjelaskan bagaimana caranya untuk memproses visa untuk Modi di masa depan.

Ketegangan tersebut bukan hanya peristiwa masa lalu. Pada bulan September 2013, lebih dari 60 orang tewas dan puluhan ribu mengungsi dalam kerusuhan antar-agama di distrik Muzaffarnagar negara bagian Uttar Pradesh. Mayoritas yang terdampak adalah muslim.

Secara internasional, Modi akan lebih berhaluan keras kepada siapa saja -Pakistan, China, bahkan AS. Kepentingan India akan ditegaskan secara agresif.

Analis Hundal mencatat bahwa pada masa kampanye, Modi tampil bersama koleganya termasuk seorang politikus Gujarat yang membuat pidato-pidato yang menghasut untuk "membalas dendam" kerusuhan tahun 2002 dan menyerukan kepada pemilih untuk menolak partai dengan kandidat muslim.

Di tengah-tengah kenaikan intoleransi yang didengung-dengungkan oleh kelompok-kelompok nasionalis Hindu, banyak muslim yang cemas atas pengaruh kepemimpinan Modi terhadap mereka.

"Kami semua mengingat apa yang dia lakukan di Gujarat," seorang muslim yang menolak disebutkan namanya kepada CNN. "Bagi muslim, Modi melambangkan kematian."

Jerath mengatakan bahwa ketegangan antar umat beragama makin berkobar-kobar di bawah kepemimpinan Modi. "Saya melihat kelompok-kelompok Hindu ini lebih aktif; Saya pikir akan ada pergolakan baru untuk membangun kuil di Ayodhya. (lokasi dihancurkannya masjid Babur)"

Ayodhya, di negara bagian Uttar Pradesh merupakan lokasi yang menjadi konflik berkepanjangn antara umat muslim dan Hindu. Kelompok Hindu garis keras menghancurkan masjid Babur yang bersejarah dalam sebuah kampanye politik tahun 1992, menyulut kerusuhan di seluruh India yang menewaskan 2.000 orang. (dimana Shiv Sena saja yang merupakan salah satu kelompok garis keras Hindu membunuh 900 orang)
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