The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), aiming for a third consecutive term and single-party majority, secured 240 seats, as reported by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief Chandrababu Naidu will be in Delhi for an NDA meeting, a day after the Lok Sabha election results were counted. Despite exit polls predicting over 300 seats, the BJP, which set a target of 370 seats on its own and over 400 with allies, fell short. The BJP won 240 seats, while the NDA’s total stood at 292.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is poised for a third term. Meanwhile, the Congress-led opposition INDIA bloc, which won 99 seats in its best performance since 2009, will hold a meeting to plan its next steps. The opposition alliance’s tally is 234 seats, and they may approach Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu to potentially deny the BJP and NDA a third straight term.
Nitish Kumar, known for his frequent shifts in alliances, and Naidu, who rejoined the NDA before the recent elections, are pivotal for the NDA’s majority. Both will attend today’s NDA meeting in Delhi.
- Uttar Pradesh: Samajwadi Party (37 seats), Congress (6 seats), BJP (33 seats).
- Maharashtra: Congress (13 seats), Shiv Sena (UBT) (9 seats), NCP (8 seats), BJP-led alliance (17 seats).
In Amethi, Smriti Irani lost to Kishori Lal Sharma. Shashi Tharoor won in Thiruvananthapuram, and Rahul Gandhi secured victories in Wayanad and Raebareli. Former MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Modi won their seats with substantial margins.
The election results caused investor concerns due to the BJP’s reliance on regional parties, potentially affecting policymaking stability.
Modi’s campaign highlighted his decade-long achievements, shifting later to critiques of Congress. The opposition focused on affirmative action, protecting the Constitution, and addressing unemployment and inflation.
Approximately 642 million voters, including a record 312 million women, participated in the seven-phase election process across more than 1 million polling stations.
Key Election Results
- BJP: 240
- Congress: 99
- Samajwadi Party: 37
- Trinamool Congress: 29
- DMK: 22
- TDP: 16
- JD(U): 12
- Shiv Sena (UBT): 9
- NCP (Sharad Pawar): 7 (leading in 1)
- Others: Various smaller parties and independents secured seats.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge called the results a moral defeat for Modi, emphasizing that the mandate went against Modi’s leadership.
In his first reaction, Modi expressed gratitude to the voters and party workers, pledging to continue fulfilling the people’s aspirations.
Both the NDA and INDIA blocs will hold crucial meetings to discuss strategies and potential alliances in light of the election outcomes.
