Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu on Tuesday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the BJP-led NDA's third consecutive victory in the Lok Sabha election, even as the ties between the two countries remain strained.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Muizzu said that he is “looking forward to working” with PM Modi to advance the two countries' shared interests.

“Congratulations to Prime Minister @narendramodi, and the BJP and BJP-led NDA, on the success in the 2024 Indian General Election, for the third consecutive term. I look forward to working together to advance our shared interests in pursuit of shared prosperity and stability for our two countries,” Muizzu wrote.

Responding to this, Modi thanked Muizzu and said, “Maldives is our valued partner and neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region. I too look forward to closer cooperation for further strengthening our bilateral ties.”

The relations between India and Maldives have soured ever since Muizzu, who is considered close to China, assumed office last year. One of the first pledges he took after coming to power was to evict Indian security personnel deployed in the Maldives to patrol its vast maritime border.

The ties worsened even further earlier this year after some Maldivian ministers, including the deputy minister, made racist remarks targeting India and mocked PM Modi's attempt to promote Lakshadweep as a tourist destination. The controversy triggered several Indians, including celebrities, to join the call to boycott the island nation.

The BJP, which was seeking a third consecutive term in office and a third straight single-party majority, won 240 seats in the Lok Sabha election, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI). However, NDA's overall tally stood at 292. Now, the ruling party will have to rely on the support of its NDA allies to form a government at the Centre.