Rahul Gandhi's policies opened doors for PM Modi's victory: CPI

Decisions taken by Rahul Gandhi led to divisions within the opposition, CPI national secretary Atul Kumar Anjaan said on Thursday, adding that the policies of the Congress scion opened the doors for Narendra Modi's victory.

Riding on a massive Modi wave sweeping through most parts of India, the BJP was set to return to power on Thursday as it led in 292 seats while the Congress trailed far behind with 50, according to trends released by the Election Commission for all 542 seats that went to polls.

"The BJP fought these elections on the basis of social and religious divisive policies and the agenda was set by them on this basis.

"But more significant is the fact that the unity of the opposition has been damaged by the Congress. The policies and decisions of Rahul Gandhi has weakened opposition unity, led to divisions and opened the doors for Modi's victory," the Communist Party of India national secretary said.

If the trends stay until final results, the BJP would have improved on its 2014 performance when it had won 282 seats on its own in the 543-member Lok Sabha. Adding the seats won by its allies, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance could win 343 seats, up from 336 in 2014.