Saudi Arabia Crown Prince congratulates PM Modi on triumph in general elections

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has extended congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his party’s triumph in India’s recently concluded general elections, highlighting the strong diplomatic relations between the two nations.

“HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman congratulates the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his political party’s victory in the general elections,” the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Friday.

PM Modi is set for an unprecedented third consecutive term as Prime Minister after the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured a comfortable majority in the parliamentary polls. While the BJP won 240 seats, down from 303 in 2019, its alliance partners took its total tally to 292 in the 543-member Lok Sabha.

The main opposition Congress party also made significant gains, winning 99 seats compared to just 52 in the previous elections, according to the Election Commission of India’s final results announced on Tuesday.

As PM Modi registers his hat-trick victory, congratulatory messages have poured in from global leaders, underscoring India’s rising influence on the world stage under his leadership over the past nine years.

Earlier on Friday, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong wished PM Modi well during a phone call with her Indian counterpart, S. Jaishankar. The Indian minister expressed confidence that the enduring India-Australia friendship would continue prospering.

“Good to talk to Penny Wong today. Appreciate her good wishes for the third tenure of the Modi Government. Confident that India-Australia Dosti (friendship) will continue to prosper,” Jaishankar said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.