BJP failed to win simple majority in closely fought Indian general elections

BJP led NDA is leading on 294 seats while opposition alliance is trailing behind with 230 seats 

Early trends in the 2024 Lok Sabha election results threw up a major surprise with BJP lost majority in the Lok Sabha. It is a big setback for the ruling BJP and Prime minister Modi. Modi was expecting a huge win but fell short of a simple majority. He was looking for an outright victory but lost the majority.

The BJP led NDA alliance is leading on around 295 seats and the INDIA opposition alliance making major gains and leading on around 230 seats. BJP still be able to form a coalition government but will depend on its allies to maintain the majority.

The Opposition alliance including Congress, Smajwadi Party (SP) All India Trinoomal Congress (TMC) and DMK have made gains in the elections. If one or two major BJP allies change loyalty then it will become possible for the opposition alliance INDIA to topple the BJP led NDA government in the future. Opposition alliance performed much better than all the predictions.

As per the trends on the Election Commission website, the BJP is leading on 238 seats, which is 34 seats short of majority and a whopping 66 seats less than its tally in the 2019 polls. If the trends hold, the BJP will be relying heavily on its NDA allies to form the government. BJP suffered big setbacks in Mahashtra, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Despite having the backing of media which campaigned in favour of Modi, BJP failed to dominate the elections like in 2014 and 2019. 

 Far from '400 paar', it seems the BJP will have to contend with a shaky majority based entirely on its NDA partners to sticking together.  The opposition alliance INDIA is leading on 230 seats. The Congress is expecting to win 100 seats while its regional allies are ahead in Utter Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala and some other smaller states.  The opposition alliance has made big gains in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and Tamil Nadu.

The BJP's Uttar Pradesh dominance, however, faced a tough challenge from the INDIA bloc. The contest between the BJP and INDIA alliance in the Lok Sabha polls is a reflection of a broader ideological battle. Poll Pundits have predicted a third term for PM Narendra Modi. But the INDIA bloc has put up a strong fight, defying predictions.

The BJP's campaign was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The party's biggest star campaigner, PM Modi, participated in over 200 public meetings, including rallies and roadshows. The INDIA bloc's campaign featured joint rallies by Opposition leaders.

The counting of votes started at 8 am amid tight security. The counting of EVM votes started 30 minutes after the postal ballot count. This year's Lok Sabha election was the second-longest since India's first election in 1951-52. Any party or coalition needs a majority of 272 seats to form the government.

                                                                                Khalid Bhatti