The Lok Sabha 2024 election results have been finalized, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) clinching 240 seats, falling short of earlier expectations. Nonetheless, it outperformed the Opposition, Congress, which secured 99 seats.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has secured a third term, albeit with the BJP needing to rely on the support of other parties in his coalition, including JD (U) chief Nitish Kumar and TDP’s chief Chandrababu Naidu. The BJP fell 32 seats short of the 272-majority mark, a significant setback for PM Modi, who had aimed for a landslide victory of ‘400 paar’.
This marks the first time since 2014 that the BJP did not secure a majority on its own, a notable contrast to the record 303 seats it won in the 2019 election. The surprising drop in BJP’s support prompted the Opposition INDIA bloc to claim a moral victory, with Congress characterizing the election as a “moral and political loss” for PM Modi.
In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP faced a formidable challenge from the INDIA bloc, particularly the Samajwadi Party, which secured 37 seats, reducing the BJP’s count to 35 from 62 seats in 2019. Other parties, including the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), and Telugu Desam Party (TDP), also secured significant seats, as per the Election Commission of India.
The BJP’s tally of 240 seats represents a decline from previous elections, while Congress saw an increase from 52 seats in 2019 to 99 in 2024. The BJP faced challenges in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, struggled in the southern states, and had limited success in West Bengal. However, it secured victory in Odisha, winning 20 out of 21 seats, with Congress clinching the remaining seat while the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) failed to win any.
In Bihar, the Congress RID alliance failed to inspire voters, while the NDA alliance maintained its position.
A meeting of the NDA with its two major allies, TDP and JD(U), as well as a meeting of the INDIA bloc, has been scheduled for today to strategize the way forward.
