Lok Sabha Election Results Analysis Updates: Narendra Modi unanimously elected as NDA leader; NDA tally reaches 303

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said, “the INDIA bloc will continue will fight against the fascist rule of the BJP led by PM Modi. We will take the appropriate steps at the appropriate time to realise the people’s desire not to be ruled by the BJP’s govt.”

“Today I spoke to @narendramodi to congratulate him on his election victory. The UK and India share the closest of friendships, and together that friendship will continue to thrive,” Sunak said on X.

“The voting results again confirm your personal high political authority, support for your course towards accelerated socio-economic development of India and protection of its interests on the world stage,” Putin said in a statement.

“Congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the National Democratic Alliance on their victory, and the nearly 650 million voters in this historic election. The friendship between our nations is only growing as we unlock a shared future of unlimited potential,” Biden said on X.

“Our countries have been strategic partners for decades. We will continue our successful co-operation to deepen German-India relations and to work on international and global issues,” Scholz said in a statement

Former Madhya Pradesh CM and BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who has won from Vidisha by a huge margin, told ANI, “I express my gratitude to the people for showing love. I will serve the people till my last breath for Viksit Bharat and Viksit Vidisha.” 

Netherlands PM Mark Rutte congratulates Modi. ”Just spoke with Prime Minister @narendramodi of India to congratulate him on his election victory. We also discussed ways to further enhance the strong cooperation between our countries in areas such as security, water management, green energy, semiconductors and healthcare,” Rutte said on X.

All leaders congratulated PM for his leadership and the strides our nation has made under him. They appreciated PM’s hardworking and efforts in nation building. 

NDA partners said that the PM has a clear vision for Viksit Bharat and they are partners in this goal From Unanimous PM’s leadershop desh ne tarakki.

They lauded the PM’s role in increasing India’s pride in the world.

NDA leaders lauded PM’s efforts towards Poverty eradication and pledged to continue the good work.

PM said that this was a historic mandate for 3rd consecutive government which was last received in India 60 years back. 

INDIA bloc meeting is on in New Delhi. At the INDIA alliance leaders’ meeting, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said, “We fought well, fought unitedly, fought resolutely. The INDIA Alliance welcomes all parties which share its fundamental commitment to the values enshrined in the Preamble to our Constitution and to its many provisions for economic, social and political justice. The mandate is decisively against PM Modi, against him and the substance and style of his politics. It is a huge political loss for him personally apart from being a clear moral defeat as well. However, he is determined to subvert the will of the people.” (Agencies)

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh reacts to NDA alliance statement. “This proposal is the height of fraud. The caretaker Prime Minister had sought votes in his name alone by making a hue and cry about ‘Modi ki Guarantee’, which the people of our country rejected. Now suddenly he has tried to breathe life into the dead NDA,” says Ramesh on X.

Joint statement of NDA members: “We are proud that 2024 Lok Sabha Election was fought and won under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi. We, the leaders of NDA alliance, unanimously choose Mr Narendra Modi as our leader. Under his leadership, the NDA government will be committed to serve the poor, women, youth, farmers, downtrodden and deprived communities.”

Responding to the viral images and video of him with Bihar CM-JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar doing the rounds on social media, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav says “We greeted each other, I was allotted the seat behind him but he saw me and called me to sit with him.” (Agencies)

In a press statement, Ranjan says rubbished speculations about Nitish Kumar joining INDIA block. He assured all members of NDA will devoted for the development of the country and the people.

Actor Rajinikath on X :My Hearty Congratulations to my dear friends .. Honourable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M.K Stalin @mkstalin ...and Shri Chandrababu Naidu Garu @ncbn 

I extend my hearty congratulations to NDA #nda and most respected dear Narendra Modiji @narendramodi “ 

“The NDA meeting was chaired at the PM’s residence, which was also attended by CM (Nitish Kumar). Everyone put forth their views and thanked the public for this mandate to the NDA for a third time. The government under the leadership of Narendra Modi will soon be formed, and very soon a meeting of all the MPs will take place,” says JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha (PTI)

The Cabinet, in its today’s meeting, has advised the President to dissolve the 17th Lok Sabha with immediate effect. The President has accepted the advice of the Cabinet and signed the order dissolving the 17th Lok Sabha.

A key meeting held by NDA alliance members at PM’s residence has concluded. PM and Allies expected to stake claim to form government.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who won Thiruvanthpuram seat arrives in Delhi. “The results are already a vindication of what I have told people that I have been seeing on the ground, which was nothing like what the exit polls were claiming. Therefore, this result in many ways is a vindication of the kind of retail politics we did, talking to people and raising their issues,” he told PTI

Congress’ Kerala unit on X said the picture of Yadav and Naidu meet doing the rounds on social media is an old picture.

“The caretaker Prime Minister is thumping his shrunken chest and boasting that not since 1962 has a Govt been re-elected thrice consecutively.

History that even the Master Distortian cannot rewrite is that Nehru was elected PM in 1952 with 364 seats, in 1957 with 371 seats and in 1962 with 361 seats. Mr. Narendra Modi has got 241 seats in 2024. It is a big mandate AGAINST him. But he is intent on sabotaging this mandate.,” Ramesh stated on X.

Crucial NDA meet for government formation is set to begin as leaders from the alliance get into a huddle. Outgoing Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah have arrived at PM’s residence. Incoming Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar will participate in this meeting.

Rouse Avenue Court extends the judicial custody of Delhi CM and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal till June 19. He was produced virtually before the court today.

More than 50 world leaders have congratulated PM Modi on his third-term win.

Presidents of Sri Lanka, Maldives, Iran, Seychelles & PMs of Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Mauritius have sent congratulatory greetings. 

Among G20 countries, PMs of Italy, Japan & President of South Korea have congratulated the PM. From Africa, Presidents of Nigeria, Kenya, Comoros have extended congratulatory messages. 

From Caribbean, leaders of Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana have congratulated PM. 

From South East Asia, PMs of Singapore & Malaysia have congratulated PM.

TMC leaders Derek O’Brien on X hailed the victory of the party’s women candidates stating that 38 per cent of the winners from the party are women. 

This inclues Mahua Moitra, Sayoni Ghosh, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Satabdi Roy among others.

“I think the INDIA alliance has performed very well in the Lok Sabha polls. Now, it depends on the leaders to set a tuning (among themselves), but the people of UP have rejected BJP,” says Samajwadi Party leader Dimple Yadav

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and PDP Chief, Mehbooba Mufti, on Wednesday congratulated Abdul Rashid Sheikh, the winner of the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat and urged the government to respect the people’s verdict and called for the release of Engineer Rashid.”Heartfelt congratulations to Mian Altaf, Aga Ruhullah, Engineer Rashid & Haneefa Jan for winning the parliament elections. Government of India must respect the verdict of the people & release Engineer Rashid,” Mufti said in a post on X.

BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik on June 5 resigned from the post of the Chief Minister after the defeat of his party in the assembly elections in the State. He handed over his resignation Governor Raghubar Das at the Raj Bhavan. This mark the end of his 24-year old stint as CM of Odisha.

Ravi Shankar Prasad, elected MP from Patna Sahib said to reporters, “I thank the people of Patna Sahib for blessing me...PM Narendra Modi will take oath as the Prime Minister soon... Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu have cleared their stand. PM will soon take oath.”

China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Mao Ning said, “We noted that the results of India’s general elections have been announced. China congratulates the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi, and along with their National Democratic Alliance, on their victory. A healthy and stable China-India relationship is in the common interest of both sides and is conducive to peace and development in the region and the world. China is willing to work together with India in the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples, focusing on the big picture and looking to the future to promote the development of relations between the two countries along a healthy and stable track.”

BJP’s newly elected candidate from Bengaluru South Lok Sabha seat Tejasvi Surya, speaking to ANI said, “People of India have given a clear verdict in the favour of the prime minister’s leadership. The BJP-led NDA is the largest political formation in the country today... PM Modi is going to be the PM of the country for the third consecutive time... After 1962, no political leader or party has achieved this phenomenon... We want to thank the people of India for having reposed their faith in the PM’s leadership. The NDA is an alliance of parties that believe in the PM’s leadership and his vision of Viksit Bharat.”

“Let all INDIA bloc leaders meet first and then accordingly I will speak after the discussion. Too early to say about our plans. Let us come to some conclusion first,” said Abhishek Banerjee. 

“I must say the kingmaker is the general public and not any political leader. Those who voted against the price hike, BJP’s tyranny, communal & divisive politics - each and every poor & common man who voted are the actual Kingmakers.”

“I will request the BJP leadership to remove me from the responsibility of Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. I will work to improve the performance of BJP in the upcoming assembly election in Maharashtra,” said senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis

“In Maharashtra, we did not get what we wanted. We got very less seats we got. In Maharashtra our fight is against MVA and there was a narrative set. The MVA said that we want to change the constitution. That narrative should have been stopped but we could not stop it earlier. We have decided to work again. Where we have got more seats we are thankful,” said senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai.

PM Narendra Modi called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. 

The Prime Minister tendered his resignation along with the Union Council of Ministers. The President accepted the resignation and requested the Prime Minister and the Union Council of Ministers to continue in office till the new Government is formed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take oath for a third time on Saturday, and in so doing, become the first (and only) three-term leader of the country since Congress stalwart Jawaharlal Nehru. Mr Modi met President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi to submit his resignation, and that of his cabinet. He was then requested to continue in his role till the swearing-in.

The ruling BJP and its allies-- the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United Peoples’ Party, Liberal (UPPL)-- have improved their tally to 11 seats in Assam in the Lok Sabha elections.

Read more here.

With voters favouring many celebrity faces -- trusted and new -- this election season, eyes will be on the performance of first-time MPs like Kangana Ranaut and Arun Govil as they take their place in the 18th Lok Sabha along with returning star-politicians Hema Malini and Manoj Tiwari.

Read more here.

Congress party’s newly-elected MP from Amethi, Kishori Lal Sharma shows his winning certificate as he meets Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and MP Rahul Gandhi.

​Businessline’s exclusive election results coverage​

After Congress’ KL Sharma defeated Bhartiya Janta Party’s Smriti Irani in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi, the newly elected party MP asserted that the senior leaders of the party have asked him to stay humble and not fill himself with ego after becoming an MP.

Read more here.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut will attend the opposition INDIA alliance meeting to be held in New Delhi on Wednesday evening to deliberate on the Lok Sabha poll results, party sources said.

Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday said he will also travel to Delhi to attend the INDIA alliance leaders’ meeting, but now only Raut will be attending it.

Raut is already in the national capital for the meeting, the sources added.

Thackeray on Tuesday pushed for staking a claim to form the next government at the Centre and said the opposition alliance’s leaders will meet on Wednesday in New Delhi to decide on the Prime Minister’s face.

“Bihar has become a king maker, therefore support should be given on the following conditions to stop unemployment, migration and to set up industries in Bihar :-

1. To give special state status to Bihar

2. Conducting caste census across the country

3. To include the 75% reservation increased by the Grand Alliance government in the 9th Schedule of the Constitution.”

Tamil Nadu CM and DMK chief MK Stalin arrives in Delhi to attend INDIA bloc’s meeting scheduled to be held later today

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal told reporters , “Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu have always maintained the federal structure... A few years ago, Naidu Ji said that a dictatorial government cannot run. And whatever the ED and CBI are doing without the consent of the states, is not acceptable. I salute them for upholding and I hope that they uphold the values that they stood by when they were chief ministers...”

JD(S) leader and newly elected MP from Karnataka’s Mandya, HD Kumaraswamy told reporters , “Union Home Minister and BJP President invited me for today’s meeting in the PM’s residence. I am attending the meeting without any big agenda from our side. We wanted to form the government without any hurdles under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi... INDIA alliance will not be helpful for the country’s development. They are just a bunch of friends who came together to form an alliance... Chandrababu Naidu is a mature politician, he will not do any such thing... When Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister, Nitish Kumar worked with the BJP and had a long relationship. Nitish Kumar will not take any negative step.”

“We will now meticulously weigh Muslim representation in upcoming elections. Opportunities would be extended only after thorough deliberation. 

We gave enough representation to Muslims in this Lok Sabha election as well as in previous elections, but we did not get adequate support, and they couldn’t understand us well” - Mayawati says in a press release issued on X

Businessline’s exclusive election results coverageUkraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulates PM Modi on X : I welcome the successful holding of the world’s largest democratic elections in India. Congratulations to Prime Minister @NarendraModi, the BJP, and BJP-led NDA on the third consecutive victory in India’s parliamentary elections.

I wish the people of India peace and prosperity, and I hope for continued cooperation between our countries. India and Ukraine share common values and a rich history. May our partnership continue to thrive, bringing progress and mutual understanding for our nations.

Everyone in the world recognizes the significance and weight of India’s role in global affairs. It is critical that we all work together to ensure a just peace for all nations. In this regard, we also look forward to seeing India attend the Peace Summit.

JD(U) spokesperson KC Tyagi says, “NDA meeting is taking place in Delhi...Nitish Kumar is participating in the meeting. JD(U) will also submit the letter pledging support to NDA as well as to make Narendra Modi the PM..There is no question of going back (to INDIA alliance)...” (ANI)

Maharashtra: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) President Sharad Pawar emphasized the importance of getting the numbers for a majority before making any moves to form a government. He said to reporters, “My personal opinion is that it is crucial to consider the numbers first. Only with the right numbers can we proceed. We cannot overlook this fact.” Pawar also mentioned that the INDIA alliance is scheduled to meet to discuss their next steps. He noted that he was unaware of any developments regarding Nitish Kumar potentially being offered the Prime Minister’s position by the INDIA alliance.

​After the Election Commission declared the results of all 543 Lok Sabha seats​, the final tally showed BJP at 240, Congress at 99, Samajwadi Party (SP) at 37, Trinamool Congress (TMC) at 29, and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) at 22. The two parties that will be kingmakers have together won 28 seats -- Telugu Desam (TDP) at 16 and Janata Dal (United) at 12.

Among the BJP’s allies, Shiv Sena (Shinde group) has got seven seats, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) 5 seats, Janasena Party (JNP) 2 seats, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) 2 seats and Janata Dal (Secular) also two seats while Asom Gana Parishad, Apna Dal (Soneylal) NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) and AJSU Party 1 seat each, taking the NDA tally to 262 (without JD-U and TDP).

After the declaration of the 18th Lok Sabha election results of Uttar Pradesh, in which the Samajwadi Party won 37 seats while Bhartiya Janata Party clinched 33 seats, BJP National General Secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam claimed that the voters of the state were illusioned by the opposition.

Read more here.

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President N Chandrababu Naidu said the TDP-led NDA government in Andhra Pradesh will live up to people’s expectations. 

Read more here.

Sanjay Raut, the Shiv Sena leader from Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction, in a press conference, praised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and conveyed the party’s thoughts on the prospects of Rahul Gandhi’s Prime Ministership.

Meanwhile, he also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah for not reaching the majority in the Lok Sabha Elections of 2024.

In a press conference, on the questions of Rahul Gandhi’s prospects of becoming Prime Minister, the Shiv Sena UBT leader said, “If Rahul Gandhi is ready to accept the leadership, why would we object? He has proven himself as a national leader for multiple times. He is one of the popular leaders. We all want him and love him. There is no objection and difference in the alliance.”

He further said, “Since the commencement of the elections, the INDIA alliance has no dissonance over the post of Prime Minister. This alliance has always fought to save democracy and the constitution from the dictatorial governance of the BJP and people have voted for us. Narendra Modi and Amit Shah should accept their defeat.”

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra penned down an emotional note for brother Rahul Gandhi, after he won both the seats he contested and the party improved its tally in the Lok Sabha elections.

Heaping praise on Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi said that that despite his conviction being doubted and “overwhelming propaganda of lies” being spread against him, Rahul never backed down and kept “fighting for truth.”

Calling him the “bravest of all,” she said that Rahul Gandhi fought with love, truth and kindness, adding that she is proud of him.

“You kept standing, no matter what they said and did to you...you never backed down whatever the odds, never stopped believing however much they doubted your conviction, you never stopped fighting for the truth despite the overwhelming propaganda of lies they spread, and you never allowed anger and hatred to overcome you, even when they gifted it to you every day,” Priyanka Gandhi said in her post on X.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) Christian outreach appeared to have helped it breach the traditionally bipolar political scape in Kerala hemmed by the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF). Actor Suresh Gopi has made a historic entry into the Lok Sabha from Thrissur, which has a significant Christian population.

Read more here.

BJP National General Secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam says, “This is for the first time in the history that a PM has won an election for the third time with their alliance parties. This is the result of the service of the people... The voters of UP were illusioned by them (Opposition). The BJP never spoke of changing the Constitution.” (ANI)

Despite suffering a politically debilitating split in the NCP last year, veteran leader Sharad Pawar led from the front in the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra, where his party won eight of the 10 seats it contested, cementing his position as the tallest politician in the state.

Read more here.

Bharatiya Janata Party has lost all four seats in the Marathwada region which it contested, including Jalna where Union minister Raosaheb Danve faced defeat.

Read more here.

“The question is not that BJP could not get the majority, it is that BJP could not get the majority under PM Modi’s leadership for the first time. They had majority in 2014 and 2019. If they wouldn’t have had NDA alliance, then they would have failed to get even these many seats. Modi is no longer a brand,” said Congress leader Pramod Tiwari, speaking to PTI.

Hailing the ​Lok Sabha election results in 2024​, ​Congress ​leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday thanked the people of Wayanad and Raebareli for making him win with a huge majority and said that the people have saved the Constitution and democracy in the country.

​ Read more here.​

TMC leader Sagarika Ghose, said, “It is a huge decisive victory for the TMC. This is a victory for Mamata Banerjee, our leader and country’s only woman CM. She campaigned relentlessly. This is a kind of victory for the social welfare schemes that TMC has rolled out for women, under privileged, minorities and those who are on the margin of society.” (ANI)

​Businessline’s exclusive election results coverage​

“Thank you for your kind wishes PM ​@GiorgiaMeloni​. We remain committed to deepening India-Italy strategic partnership which is underpinned by shared values and interests. Looking forward to working together for global good,” posted PM Modi on X.

The​ election outcome​ poses near-term uncertainty but is unlikely to alter the economy’s path, according to DBS Research.

​Read more here.​

Prime Minister ​Narendra Modi​ on Tuesday said people have shown full confidence in the ​BJP ​and the NDA and the ​Lok Sabha elections results ​were a victory of the people, democracy and faith in the country’s Constitution.

​Read more here.​

With the BJP falling behind the majority mark and its poll pitch of ‘400 ke par’, opposition INDIA bloc said on Tuesday that the 2024 Lok Sabha election mandate is against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he should own up the political and moral responsibility and step aside from another stint in power.

Read more here.

The final results of the 2024 Lok Sabha (LS) elections revealed flaws in the exit polls process as predictions of a thumping majority for the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) did not materialise. Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu were among the States that particularly stumped exit pollsters.

Read more here.

businessline exclusive election results coverage: In a significant turn of events, the BJP in Elections 2024 marked its worst performance in Rajasthan since Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in 2014. The party could secure only 25 Lok Sabha seats in the desert state, a stark contrast to the 2019 polls when it lost just one of the 25 seats in Rajasthan. In 2014, it had won all the 25 seats in the state.

Read more here.

Congress leader Karti Chidambaram, son of senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, won the election from the Sivaganga Lok Sabha constituency. 

Karti Chidambaram defeated AIADMK’s Xavierdass by a margin of 205664 votes.

While speaking to ANI, he stated that the people of Tamil Nadu have rejected the BJP’s Hindutva politics and have voted for a federal, secular, and inclusive government. 

“This victory is clear in the election results.”

Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader Shambhavi Choudhary has won Bihar’s Samastipur Lok Sabha seat becoming one of the youngest MPs. “I extend my wishes to the people of Samastipur. I would say that they have taken the right decision, and I will try to live up to their expectations. Samastipur has given me a big victory, and I believe that the people have given me a place in their heart. I had said that I have come here to seek blessings as a daughter and today they have accepted me as their daughter,” said Shambhavi Choudhary, according to PTI.

TMC candidate from Krishnanagar, ​West Bengal​, Lok Sabha seat Mahua Moitra says, “I am happy with my victory but considering the communal politics going on in India and Modi ji had said that he is contesting all 543 seats, I am happy that these elections have been held against him. The performance in Bengal has also been good,” she said, according to an ANI report.

​Businessline’s exclusive election results coverage​

On being asked how will be US-India relations after Modi 3.0, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller says, “So I expect a continued close partnership between the United States and India. There is a great partnership both at the government level and at the people-to-people level, and I fully expect that to continue,” an ANI report said.

For the first time, ​​Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have to depend on two past-masters of coalition politics ​​– TDP Chief N Chandrababu Naidu and JD(U) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar – to form the government. 

The Prime Minister is believed to have spoken to Naidu and is expected to join his swearing-in as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. A meeting of the BJP-led NDA is believed to have been scheduled for Wednesday for which both Nitish Kumar and Naidu have been invited.

​​Businessline exclusive election results coverage​​

The ​gap between the NDA and the INDIA alliance is so small​, just about 60 seats, that they can make a difference to which formation forms the next government. The Congress party has said that it will discuss the possibilities on Wednesday with its partners. So, as of today, the matter of who forms the next government is still open and it’s up to the President as to who she invites to form it.

The ​State that scripted the BJP’s uninterrupted reign at the Centre for two terms brought the saffron party below the majority mark ​on Tuesday. A number of factors combined to thwart the BJP’s carefully-crafted strategy in Uttar Pradesh and the prime among them was the reverse social engineering attempted by saffron party’s main challenger – Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.

The ​TDP, which joined very late to the NDA alliance, emerged as a major player​, giving the alliance a much-needed booster shot. With the BJP falling short of the magic figure, the TDP’s support turns crucial for the alliance to form the Government at the Centre. From just three in the 2019 elections, the alliance increased its tally to 21, pushing the YSRCP to just 4 (which won 22 in 2019).

The ​Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) target of achieving a hat-trick of clean sweeps in Gujarat came undone Tuesday​, after it conceded the Banaskantha Lok Sabha seat to its rival Congress.

For the first time since Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister, the BJP has lost a Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat, winning 25 of the 26 seats in the State. The saffron party had won all the 26 seats during the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections and had targeted to win all the 26 seats with a victory margin of 5 lakh votes.

The ​BJP’s backed splits in Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar’s NCP​, including the controversial seizure of their party names and election symbols, backfired spectacularly. Voter anger against turncoats, coupled with issues such as agrarian distress, inflation, and the lacklustre performance of sitting BJP alliance MPs, proved to be decisive factors in the BJP’s downfall in Maharashtra.

​In a major setback to the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal​, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress is set to increase its seats in the state to 29 in the fiercely-contested LoK Sabha elections.

Despite the prediction of most of the exit polls that the BJP would get more seats than the ruling Trinamool Congress in the state, the saffron party has bagged a lesser number of seats in the 2024 LS elections than 2019 elections. 

With the BJP falling behind the majority mark and its poll pitch of ‘400 ke par’, opposition ​INDIA bloc said on Tuesday that the 2024 Lok Sabha election mandate is against Prime Minister Narendra Modi ​and he should own up the political and moral responsibility and step aside from another stint in power.

Unlike the previous two general elections, ​a clear mandate has eluded the BJP this time and the party appears set to win 240 seats​, down 63 from the 303 it had won in 2019, and 33 short of a clear majority of 272 in the 543-member Lok Sabha.

The BJP will make up for the shortfall with Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), which looked set to win 12 seats in Bihar, and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), looking to bag 17 seats in Andhra Pradesh besides minor allies including the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party, the Lok Janshakti Party, the Hindustani Awam Morcha, and the Jana Sena Party. Together, the NDA constituents come up to about 291 seats, 19 over the majority mark in the Lower House. 

​Businessline exclusive election results coverage​