The 2024 Lok Sabha elections concluded with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) securing 240 seats, fewer than anticipated, yet maintaining a significant lead over the Congress party, which secured 99 seats.
Key BJP Victories
- Narendra Modi – The Prime Minister retained his Varanasi seat, defeating Congress candidate Ajay Rai by 1,52,513 votes.
- Amit Shah – The Home Minister triumphed in Gandhi Nagar by a staggering 7,44,716 votes against Congress’ Sonam Ranambhai Patel.
- Rajnath Singh – The Defence Minister secured the Lucknow seat for the third consecutive term, overcoming Samajwadi Party candidate Ravidas Mehrotra by 1,35,159 votes.
- Shankar Lalwani – The incumbent MP from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, achieved an exceptional victory with the highest margin in this election, 12,26,751 votes.
- Kangana Ranaut – Known for her fearless portrayals on screen, made a remarkable political debut by winning the Mandi seat, Himachal Pradesh, against Congress’ Vikramaditya Singh by 74,755 votes.
- Shivraj Singh Chouhan – The former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister won from the Vidisha Lok Sabha seat by a margin of 8,21,408 votes against Congress’s Prataphanu Sharma.
- Bunty Vivek Sahu – Secured victory in Chhindwara, defeating Nakul Nath of Congress by a margin of 1,13,618 votes.
Significant Opposition Wins
- Rahul Gandhi – Recorded a major victory in Raebareli, defeating BJP’s Dinesh Pratap by 3,90,030 votes. He also won Wayanad’s seat with a margin of 3,64,422 votes over his nearest rival Annie Raja of the Communist Party of India.
- KL Sharma – Clinched the Amethi seat by defeating the incumbent MP and Union Minister Smriti Irani by a margin of 1,67,196 votes. Notably, Irani had defeated Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 elections.
- Shashi Tharoor – Retained his Thiruvananthapuram seat in Kerala for a record fourth term, defeating BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar by 16,077 votes.
Key Losses for BJP
- RK Singh – Union Minister lost to Sudama Prasad of CPIML by a margin of 59,808 votes in Arrah Lok Sabha seat.
- Arjun Munda – Union Tribal Affairs and Agriculture Minister lost the Khunti Lok Sabha seat to Congress’s Kalicharan Munda by a margin of 1,49,675 votes.
Conclusion
Despite securing a third term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP fell short of the 272 majority mark, indicating a shift in the political landscape. The Opposition INDIA bloc claimed a “victory of sorts,” while Congress deemed it a “moral and political loss” for PM Modi. This election reflects a dynamic shift in Indian politics, setting the stage for a new era of governance and opposition dynamics.
