The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, New Delhi

Controversial Hindu nationalist party leader Narendra Modi swept back to power by a wide margin in India's religiously divided Gujarat state Sunday after his rivals conceded.

Early vote counting following a two-phase election earlier this month showed Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead in 117 districts, giving it a clear majority in the 182-seat parliament, according to partial information on the website if India's Election Commission and television forecasts.

His rival Congress Party, which run the federal government, conceded after television reports forecast it took just over 60 seats, the Press Trust of India news agency said.

The results must still be confirmed by the Election Commission, but television news channels showed BJP workers waving flags outside party offices, dancing and setting off firecrackers.

"We have been celebrating since the last day of polling," BJP spokesman Yamal Vyas, told the CNN-IBN channel, soon after vote counting got underway.

Thousands of electoral workers were at counting sites across the state, with the official results expected around midday (0630 GMT).