The 2024 Lok Sabha election results will be announced tomorrow, and several historic milestones may be reached by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). With exit polls predicting over 400 seats for the NDA, PM Modi is poised to match Jawaharlal Nehru’s record of winning three consecutive terms.
Potential Historic Feats for PM Modi and BJP
- Second, to PM Nehru If the NDA wins, PM Modi will become the first Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to win three consecutive terms. Nehru served as Prime Minister for 16 years and 286 days, winning elections in 1951-52, 1957, and 1962.
- 400 Seats in Lok Sabha Major exit polls, including India Today-My Axis India, India TV-CNX, and News24-Todays Chanakya, predict over 400 seats for the NDA. If achieved, this will be a historic milestone, as only the Congress party, led by Rajiv Gandhi, has won more than 400 seats (404 out of 514) in the 1984 elections.
- In-roads in the South The BJP-led NDA is expected to make significant gains in southern states. Exit polls predict the BJP may win 2-3 seats in Kerala, where it has never won before, and 1-3 seats in Tamil Nadu, a state where it drew a blank in the 2019 elections.
- No Anti-Incumbency Securing a third consecutive term would dispel anti-incumbency fears. Despite challenges such as rising prices, unemployment, and controversial decisions like demonetisation and the Agnipath scheme, exit polls suggest voters have shown strong support for the BJP.
- Brand Modi Exit polls indicate that “Brand Modi” remains powerful even after a decade in power. Following losses in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka assembly elections, PM Modi’s leadership saw a resurgence in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh assembly polls. The general elections suggest continued strong support for the BJP under his leadership.
- Voter Turnout The 2024 elections saw a record turnout with 642 million (64.2 crore) voters, including 312 million women. This turnout is higher than the 612 million voters in 2019, though slightly lower in percentage terms.
- Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a record 58.46% voter turnout, the highest in 35 years, in its first major election since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
- Election Seizures The Election Commission reported record seizures of almost ₹10,000 crores during the election, nearly three times the value seized in 2019.
