BJP Secures Victory but Falls Short of Expected Landslide

The Lok Sabha 2024 election results have been finalized, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) winning 240 seats, a significant drop from the expected numbers. Despite this, the BJP managed to surpass the Congress, which secured 99 seats.

Although Prime Minister Narendra Modi secured a third term, the BJP fell short of the majority mark by 32 seats, requiring support from coalition partners like JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar and TDP’s chief Chandrababu Naidu. This outcome came as a stunning blow for the PM, who had aimed for a landslide victory of ‘400 paar’, a goal that was not achieved.

This election marked the first time since 2014 that the BJP did not secure a majority on its own, winning far fewer seats than the record 303 in the 2019 election. The Opposition INDIA bloc claimed a moral victory, while Congress described the election as a “moral and political loss” for PM Modi.

In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP faced a tough challenge from the INDIA bloc led by the Samajwadi Party, which won 37 seats, reducing the BJP’s count to 35 from 62 in 2019. The AITC secured 29 seats, DMK secured 22 seats, and TDP secured 16 seats, as per the Election Commission of India.

The BJP also faced setbacks in Rajasthan and struggled in the southern states, with limited success in West Bengal. However, it emerged victorious in Odisha, winning 20 out of 21 seats. In Bihar, the NDA alliance maintained its strength against the Congress RID alliance.

A meeting of the NDA with its key allies, TDP and JD(U), along with the INDIA bloc, is scheduled to discuss the future strategies following the election results.