For the third consecutive term, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) clinched victory, cementing its governance at the Centre. Securing 240 seats in the Lok Sabha Elections, the party fell short by 32 seats to attain a simple majority.
A notable surge was witnessed in the Congress’s performance as it nearly doubled its seat count from 2019, securing 99 seats in 2024. Among the noteworthy victories, 15 Muslim candidates emerged triumphant, including former India cricketer Yusuf Pathan, who unseated Congress bastion Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in West Bengal’s Baharampur.
In a compelling victory, Saharanpur-based Congress candidate Imran Masood triumphed with an impressive margin of 64,542 votes. Meanwhile, in Kairana, Samajwadi Party candidate Iqra Choudhary, aged 29, defeated BJP opponent Pradeep Kumar by a considerable 69,116 votes.
Continuing the streak, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi retained his Hyderabad stronghold with an astounding margin of 3,38,087 votes over his closest rival, BJP’s Madhavi Latha Kompella. Similarly, Afzal Ansari, the incumbent MP from Ghazipur, secured the seat with a commanding 5.3 lakh votes.
Independents also left their mark with Abdul Rashid Sheikh triumphing in the Baramulla constituency of Jammu and Kashmir with a hefty 4.7 lakh votes. Likewise, in Ladakh, independent candidate Muhammad Haneefa clinched victory with a margin of 27,862 votes.
In Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party’s Mohibbullah seized the Rampur seat with a resounding 4,81,503 votes, while Zia Ur Rehman emerged victorious in Sambhal with a convincing margin of 1.2 lakh votes.
The 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, whose outcome was unveiled on June 4, witnessed over 231 seats being claimed by the INDIA BLOC, spearheaded by the Congress. In contrast, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP, secured a formidable 295 seats.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi finds himself relying on the support of allies for the first time to forge a government. This marks a departure from the BJP’s landslide victories of 282 and 303 seats in the national elections of 2014 and 2019, respectively.
Reports indicate that the INDIA BLOC is actively wooing NDA allies, endeavoring to garner support for government formation.