BJP Cut To Size; INDIA Shines
This election’s outcome at the very least burst the bubble surrounding Prime Minister Modi's charisma.
News
By G SAI PRASHANTH, SWEETY MOHANTA
The Congress party has orchestrated a stunning comeback, nearly tripling its 2019 vote total as it won 99 seats of the total 543 seats. The united opposition block, under the banner "INDIA" has gained a lead of about 201 seats as a result of their combined struggle against the BJP and its policies. The outcome of this election is a harsh reality for the saffron party. With all eyes on the final results, India's political landscape is being unveiled through a close examination of every little aspect.
The 2024 general election is an amazing occasion. This was not your typical election. The very possibility of politics itself was in jeopardy. For the time being, at least, the nauseating winds of communalism, the oppressive shadow of authoritarianism, and the general atmosphere of hopelessness have subsided. It could be the third time that the NDA forms a government. That is hardly a negligible accomplishment.
The 2024 Lok Sabha elections began on April 19 and ended on June 1. On Tuesday, June 4, the vote-counting process began at 8 a.m. According to the statistics given by the Election Commission Of India, the Opposition INDIA alliance has won 203 seats, reversing all exit poll projections. The BJP-led NDA, however, managed to surpass the majority threshold despite a fierce challenge; winning a whopping 286 seats. It is now short of the 300 mark, according to the latest results by the Election Commission of India.
Picture Credits: AP
The Hindu nationalist party has suffered significant blows in its traditional bastions of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan. On the other hand, the party has made significant progress in states such as Odisha, Telangana, and Kerala, suggesting an eclectic election outcome in various areas. The united opposition block, under the banner "INDIA" has gained a lead of about 201 seats as a result of their combined struggle against the BJP and its policies.
This alliance has made significant advances in many states, presenting a serious threat to the BJP's hegemony. The surge in the number of seats won by the INC may indicate a possible resurrection for the party following a long period of electoral failures.
Economist and analyst Arun Kumar told Al Jazeera from Gurugram that Modi has become the face of the BJP. According to him, this means that the party's dismal performance is a personal jab at Modi. According to Kumar, "BJP leaders looked more 'chastened' than they had before the vote count, even though they were declaring victory." "What you observe [in Modi's speech] is an attempt to try and pump up the crowd, to say we will do better, and to energise the BJP supporters.".
Following the BJP's failure to emerge as the single largest party, calls from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to TDP chairman Chandrababu Naidu and JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar started to flow, according to Frontline Magazine. They will prove to be two kingmakers at the national level now.
Picture Credits: ANI
Congressman Rahul Gandhi, who won the Rae Bareli and Wayanad seats, expressed his appreciation for Uttar Pradesh's "political wisdom" at a press conference, reported by the Indian Express.
He said that the INDIA Alliance will meet on Wednesday to decide whether to reach out to allies like the JD (S) and the TDP in an attempt to form a government in the centre. "We are having a meeting with our partners tomorrow; these questions will be raised and answered there.”
Picture Credits: Election Commission of India
State wise highlights
Out of the 26 seats in the legislature, the Gujarati Lok Sabha seat for Surat has already been claimed by the BJP. Following the withdrawal of eight other candidates due to the disqualification of the Congress candidate, Nilesh Kumbhani, and his replacement, Mukesh Dalal, the BJP candidate from Surat, was proclaimed the only winner on April 22.
The Congress secured both Lok Sabha seats in Manipur following the resentment of the people in the state towards the ruling BJP during the ethnic clash between the Kuki and Meitei tribes. The NDA and Chandrababu Naidu's partnership has been successful in Andhra Pradesh, where they have won 21 of the 25 seats available.
In Odisha, what can only be described as a historic upset, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's 24-year term is about to end as the aggressive Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to form office with a slender majority in Odisha. By nightfall, the BJD's share of the vote had categorically fallen from 44.71% in 2019 to 40.13% in 2024, while the BJP's share had increased from 32.4% in 2019 to 39.93% in 2024.
"Thank you Odisha! It's a resounding victory for good governance and celebrating Odisha's unique culture," stated Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a post on X. "BJP will leave no stone unturned in fulfilling the dreams of people and taking Odisha to new heights of progress.
Picture Credits: PTI
In a similar vein, the BJP won a sizable majority in Karnataka despite the state's long-standing preference for the Congress. With 17 seats, the BJP leads, while the INDIA Alliance has 9. In Telangana, the Congress failed to build on its earlier assembly vote success, and the NDA and India are both neck-to-neck with eight seats each. In the Thrissur seat, actor-politician Suresh Gopi ensured an almost impregnable advantage of over 74,000 votes, fulfilling the BJP's aim of having an elected MP from Kerala. In Tamil Nadu, the BJP fails to win, while the DMK takes 21 seats. In Maharashtra, the BJP has won 10 seats while the INC won 13 seats out of the total 48 seats.
Based on an analysis by The Mint of the most recent data from the Election Commission, the BJP has seen a rise in its vote share in India's main cities, from around 39% in 2019 and 32% in 2014 to 41.2% in 2024. Without this outcome, the BJP would have been able to dominate India without restraint. It was a dominance that posed a threat to all political possibilities, engulfing all adversaries and encroaching on civil society. There may be more contestation and internal divisions within the BJP now that it has lost half of its seats in Uttar Pradesh. It will now be necessary for the party to become more of a negotiated entity.
A miraculously cohesive INDIA alliance, particularly in UP, played a key in maintaining this balance. Is it possible for a policy consensus to be formed that can foster the necessary conditions for a country's revitalization given the current political landscape? Only time will tell. India's political system is currently quite competitive once more. That opens up the possibility of accountability as well as checks and balances.
