- By Shivam Shandilya
- Tue, 04 Jun 2024 10:20 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Lok Sabha Elections 2024: As the Lok Sabha election results unfold, INDIA bloc has made significant gains across several states, including Uttar Pradesh. Led by Congress with 100 seats, INDIA bloc has managed to win or take a lead in 231 seats, performing much better than the last election. Meanwhile, the NDA has won/ or taken the lead in 291 seats.
The Congress alone seems to have doubled its tally, nearly jumping from 52 seats in 2019 to 99 seats in the current election. Congress welcomed the results and termed it the "political and moral defeat" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on whose name the Bharatiya Janata Party campaign was run. The statement comes after the saffron party failed to cross the majority mark on its own.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge lauded the party's campaign and said they continued to raise issues of the public, such as inflation and unemployment. He also said that Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra and Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra formed the foundation of the party's campaign.
Among several other states, the BJP lost its ground significantly in Rajasthan and Maharashtra.
Rajasthan
INDIA bloc has made notable gains, with Congress winning eight seats as opposed to the BJP winning 14 seats in the polls. It lost 10 seats as compared to its performance in 2019.
According to a Deccan Herald report quoting political analyst Narayan Bareth, there was no wave this time and that the people did not buy the Viksit Bharat model. Also, the Ram Mandir did not find resonance.
"The Agniveer issue and the farmers mainly from the Jat community, miffed with the BJP, have voted in favour of Congress. The Agniveer issue has found resonance in Shekhawati region that of Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar which send the maximum youth to the defence forces.”
Another political analyst, as quoted by the Deccan Herald, said that this time the fight has been between the common people and the BJP and not between Congress and the BJP. He also added that the people have outrightly rejected the politics of hate polarisation.
The election for all 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state took place in two phases. It was held on April 19 and April 26. In the first phase, voting took place for 12 Lok Sabha seats, while in the second phase, polling took place for 13 seats.
Maharashtra
Congress emerged as the single largest party in Maharashtra, which has 48 seats in the Lok Sabha. The party has won a total of 13 seats in the state. Its alliance partners, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), were leading on 9 and 7 seats, taking their total to 29. The combined vote share of the faction was over 43 per cent.
The win in Maharashtra is considered to be big for the alliance, as the parties in the alliance gained its ground after some of the members of the faction broke off to join other parties or form their own group.
In Maharashtra, there was already undercurrents of sympathy for Uddhav Thackeray. Although, that was not very visible, sympathy was there for both leaders. The split in the Shiv Sena and NCP didn't go down well with the electorates. Although the Election Commission recognised the rebel factions as the original parties and allotted them official party symbols, the voters saw Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray as victims of deceit.
The disputes among the constituents of the NDA over seat sharing led to a delayed announcement of the candidates. This also led to a setback for the NDA in the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra. It also gave the opponents more time to campaign. Besides, farmers issues, drought and Maratha agitation were among the factors that hugely impacted the faction.
The BJP has lost its significant on-ground electoral strength in two of the major states that send the maximum number of members to the Lok Sabha: Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Grateful To People: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the BJP-led NDA will form its third successive government and that it is the victory of resolve of Viksit Bharat, of 'Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas' and of strong faith of people in India's Constitution. He said that it is the first time after 1962 that a government that completed two full tenures has got a third successive term in office. He said "new history" has been created after six decades.
"On this sacred day, it is confirmed that NDA is forming the government for the third time. We are grateful to the people, they reposed full faith on the BJP, NDA. This is the victory of the world's largest democracy, it is a victory of strong faith on India's Constitution, it is the victory of the resolve of Viksit Bharat. It is the victory of 'Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas'," he said.
As the INDIA bloc wins a significant number of seats, the question despite not having a majority, poses: Whether INDIA bloc will be able to form a government? The meeting is likely to be held on Wednesday with other members of the allies, and the time will tell us if it can form a government.
