India's Modi tells cheering crowd 'good times are coming'

VADODARA, India - India's Narendra Modi told cheering supporters Friday that "good times are coming" as he thanked them for their "love" which propelled him and his Hindu nationalist party to an historic election win.

Modi made his first comments on results day in his constituency of Vadodara in his home state of Gujarat, where thousands chanted his name.

"Good days are coming... After filing my nomination from Vadodara I was able to spend only 50 minutes here, but you gave me five lakh 70,000 votes (570,000)," he said, referring to his winning margin.

"I bow in front of the people of Vadodara for the love and each of the voters worked as Narendra Modi," he said.

Preliminary results at the end of the marathon six-week election showed Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on track for the first parliamentary majority by a single party since 1984.

Election Commission figures showed the BJP likely to win more than the 272 seats required for a majority on its own in the 543-seat parliament, with victories by its allies taking it easily in excess of 330.