Election Results 2024: Highlights on June 5, 2024

“The mandate is decisively against Narendra Modi, against him and the substance and style of his politics. It is a huge political loss for him personally apart from being a clear moral defeat as well,” Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said at the INDIA meeting.“However, he is determined to subvert the will of the people. The INDIA Alliance welcomes all parties which shares its fundamental commitment to the values enshrined in the Preamble to our Constitution and to its many provisions for economic, social and political justice,” the Congress chief added.

Opposition INDIA bloc leaders began crucial deliberations, exploring the possibilities of government formation, the alliance’s future strategy and whether to reach out to former allies Nitish Kumar and N. Chandrababu Naidu. The leaders met at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence in New Delhi, a day after Lok Sabha election results were declared.

Top Congress leaders, including party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also attended the meeting.

Opposition leaders attending the meeting included Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin and T. R. Baalu of the DMK, Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren and Kalpana Soren of the JMM, Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule of the NCP-SP, Akhilesh Yadav and Ram Gopal Yadav (SP), Abhishek Banerjee (TMC), Tejashwi Yadav (RJD), Sanjay Raut and Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena-UBT), Omar Abdullah (JKNC), Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), D Raja (CPI), Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha (AAP) and N. K. Premchandran (RSP).

While the BJP on its own fell short of a majority, it may, as things stand, form the government on the back of its allies. With support from Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP and Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), which won 16 and 12 seats in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, respectively, and other alliance partners, the NDA has crossed the halfway mark. - PTI

A crucial meeting of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance was held at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence in Delhi today. 

The meeting was attended by BJP president J.P. Nadda, BJP leaders Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, BJP’s allies including Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo N Chandrababu Naidu, Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde, Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy, Janasena Party chief Pawan Kalyan, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan, Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) leader Praful Patel among others. 

According to the sources, discussions were held on the government formation by the NDA. According to sources, PM Modi will take the oath for the third time on June 8.

- ANI

President Droupadi Murmu orders dissolving of 17th Lok Sabha, Rashtrapati Bhavan says.

After the BJP-led coalition managed to secure only 17 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, Deputy CM and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said he takes full responsibility for the results and request the top leadership to relieve him from the responsibilities in State government. 

“I take responsibility for the results in Maharashtra, as I was leading the party.” He added, “I am requesting the BJP high command to relieve me of my governmental responsibilities so that I can work hard for the party in the upcoming elections.”

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP secured 23 seats in the western State. This time, however, their performance was eclipsed by the opposition coalition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which includes Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (Sharad Pawar).

The MVA collectively won 30 seats, reflecting significant gains for the alliance. Congress achieved a notable increase, winning 13 seats compared to just one in 2019. Shiv Sena (UBT) captured nine seats, and NCP (Sharad Pawar) secured eight.

- Abhinay Deshpande

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated his counterpart Narendra Modi on his party’s victory in India’s general election, expressing hopes that Indo-Israel ties surge to “new heights”.

“I extend my warmest congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on being reelected for a third consecutive term. May the friendship between India and Israel continue to surge towards new heights. Badhaai Ho !”, Mr. Netanyahu tweeted on social media platform X.

- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with President Murmu to resign and to tender the resignation of his council of Ministers. President Murmu has asked him to continue as caretaker till a new government is sworn in.

- Nistula Hebbar

The 2024 Lok Sabha results were a heavy blow to the BJP’s efforts to allegedly subvert democracy and constitutional values and indicated that people have rejected the propaganda created in the saffron party’s favour, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday.

Reacting to the poll results, Mr. Vijayan said the people of India have broken the BJP’s delusion that it can safely move forward by using communalism and sectarianism to divide people.

In a statement, he said that the BJP’s victory in Thrissur was being viewed very seriously and would be “critically evaluated”.

- PTI

China on Wednesday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the victory of the BJP-led NDA coalition in the general elections and said it stands ready to work with India bearing in mind the overall interests of bilateral ties.

“We noted the results of India’s general election and extend congratulations on the victory of BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and NDA,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.

China stands ready to work with India to act in the fundamental interests of the two countries and two peoples bearing in mind the overall interests of our ties and look to the future and advance the bilateral ties on a steady track, he said.

- PTI

Aatral Ashok Kumar, the AIADMK’s Erode candidate was said to be the richest of the 950 MP aspirants who contested the April 19 Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu and he had declared assets worth over Rs 500 crore.

Despite putting up a good fight, the debutant was swept away in the DMK wave, with the ruling party-led coalition netting all 39 Lok Sabha seats in the State.

According to the results published by the Election Commission, DMK’s K.E. Prakash trumped Mr. Kumar by 2,36,566 votes and emerged victorious from the western constituency. Mr. Kumar received 3,25,773 votes out of the 10,93,423 votes polled.

- PTI

NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said there has been no discussion within the INDIA bloc yet on reaching out to the TDP or JD(U) to shore up the numbers of the alliance for government formation.

His remarks came ahead of the meeting of INDIA bloc leaders at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence this evening to deliberate on the Lok Sabha poll results and whether to bring on board the Janata Dal (United) (JD-U) and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to cobble up a government.

Asked about reaching out to the TDP or JD(U) to shore up numbers for the INDIA bloc, Mr. Pawar said there was no such discussion within the bloc as yet. “We have not spoken about this yet,” he said.

He said the alliance leaders were meeting on Wednesday and will take collective decisions. “I have no personal opinion. Whatever we decide, will be a collective decision,” Mr. Pawar said.

- PTI

AJSU Party chief Sudesh Mahto on Wednesday said that the NDA, which is comfortably above the majority mark of 272 in the 543-member Lok Sabha, has got the mandate to form the government at the Centre.

Mr. Mahto left for Delhi to take part in the NDA meeting scheduled in the national capital later in the day.

He got a call from Union Home Minister Amit Shah to attend the meeting, a party spokesperson said.

The AJSU Party, an NDA partner in Jharkhand, bagged the Giridih constituency it was allotted in the seat-sharing agreement with the BJP.

- PTI

The Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, where Rahul Gandhi won for the second time in a row, comprises three Assembly constituencies each in the tribal district of Wayanad and the Muslim-dominated Malappuram, as well as one in Kozhikode district where Christians hold a significant vote base.

Mr. Gandhi romped home with a margin of over 3.64 lakh votes against his nearest rival, Annie Raja of the CPI.

With the Congress scion winning handsomely from Rae Bareli as well, questions remain which constituency he will now forego, although he has said he has not taken a decision on which seat he will represent in the Lok Sabha.

Asked about which seat he would represent in Lok Sabha, Mr. Gandhi said on Tuesday, “I have won from both the seats and I want to wholeheartedly thank the voters of Rae Bareli and Wayanad. Now I have to decide which seat I will stay on, will discuss and then decide. Can’t hold on to both the seats, but I haven’t decided yet.” “I am being asked whether I would remain the MP of Wayanad or Rae Bareli, I want to remain MP for both. Congratulations to all of you,” the former Congress president had said.

- PTI

The INDIA bloc bagged all four seats in Rajasthan’s Shekhawati region where farmers’ issues and the Agnipath scheme dominated the electoral discourse.

The Opposition bloc got a morale booster in Rajasthan after winning 11 seats in the State, which had seen the BJP-led NDA winning all 25 Lok Sabha seats in the last two general elections. - PTI

The Union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 5 recommended the dissolution of the 17th Lok Sabha, sources said.

Following the meeting at his residence, a day after the general election results, Mr. Modi made the formal recommendation to President Droupadi Murmu and also handed over his resignation, they said.

“The Union Cabinet has recommended the dissolution of the 17th Lok Sabha,” a top source told PTI.

Taking a swipe at the BJD and YSRCP after the parties suffered crushing defeats in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, the Congress on June 5 said that from being the BJP’s “B-teams” they have become the “has-been” teams.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “Over the past ten years, the BJD was the B-team of the BJP in Parliament. It supported Mr. Modi on every issue.” “Over the past ten years, YSRCP was another B-team of the BJP, which supported Mr. Modi on every issue. From B-teams, they have become the has-been teams,” Mr. Ramesh said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on June 5 said TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and JDU’s Nitish Kumar, whose support is key to the formation of the next government, have to decide whether they want to join hands with an autocrat, a remark apparently aimed at the BJP leadership.

Talking to reporters, Mr. Raut said his party will not oppose if Congress leader Rahul Gandhi decides to lead the INDIA bloc government and be the prime ministerial face.

The INDIA bloc leaders will meet in New Delhi on June 5 to discuss the further course of action. - PTI

After scoring a zilch in the Lok Sabha polls, Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati on June 5 said that despite the party giving it a “proper representation” in elections, the Muslim community is not able to understand the BSP.

Going forward, the party will give the community an electoral opportunity only after a lot of thought, she said.

The BSP had failed to open its account in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections as well. It, however, bagged 10 seats in the 2019 one, which it had fought in alliance with the Samajwadi Party.

TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu said his party was in NDA and that he will be attending the National Democratic Alliance meeting to be held in New Delhi later in the day.

“We are in NDA. I am going for an NDA meeting. In the course of time, if there is anything we will report to you,” Naidu said in a press conference when asked about his Delhi visit.

Naidu said Andhra Pradesh has suffered a lot during the past five years and he has a job to set it right.

Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday took a jibe at the Bhartiya Janta Party and asserted that the party is far away from the majority and is now dependent on allies. Yadav also claimed that after the declaration of the 18th Lok Sabha election results, the “Modi-factor” had finished.

Speaking to reporters ahead of attending the INDIA bloc meeting in New Delhi, Tekjashwi Yadav said, “RJD has secured the maximum number of votes in Bihar and our voting per cent is greatest. We have also witnessed an increase in the number of seats as compared to the last time... The people of the country have taught a lesson to the BJP, they have voted against the divisive policy, and the politics of hatred. They have voted against their dictatorship and have stopped it.”

- ANI

With both the NDA and INDIA bloc scheduling strategy sessions in their bid to notch up the required numbers to form a majority government, a slew of political leaders from both the alliances are landing in the national capital.

Coincidentally, Nitish Kumar and his former INDIA ally and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD will fly in the same plane to Delhi.

The meeting by the Union Cabinet is scheduled to take place at around 3:30 pm while the meeting by the INDIA bloc will be held in the national capital at 6 pm.

- ANI

NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar and party MP from Baramati, Supriya Sule, left from Mumbai for Delhi on June 5 for the INDIA bloc meeting, scheduled for later today. 

In the Lok Sabha elections, NCP-SCP secured 8 seats in Maharashtra. Furthermore, Supriya Sule has clinched her fourth consecutive victory in the Baramati Lok Sabha Seat, defeating her sister-in-law Sunetra Pawar. - ANI

The Bharatiya Janata Party has lost all four seats in the Marathwada region which it contested, including Jalna where Union minister Raosaheb Danve faced defeat.

Sandipan Bhumare is the only candidate of Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti who won the Lok Sabha poll in Marathwada on Tuesday. - PTI

JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Wednesday said the Congress bid to form government at the Centre will not happen.

Speaking to reporters before heading for New Delhi, he said the NDA constituents meeting will be held in the national capital, and he would be participating on behalf of JD(S).

“Nothing will happen,” Kumaraswamy said, replying to a query on the Congress party’s exercise to form the government.

Kumaraswamy, the JD(S) second-in-command, won the Lok Sabha election from Mandya as an NDA candidate. Along with him, the party’s candidate Mallesh Babu won from Kolar. However, JD(S) candidate from Hassan, Prajwal Revanna, lost the election.

- PTI

Lok Janshakti Party leader Chirag Paswan has reached Nitish Kumar’s residence in Patna. Both leaders are expected to take part in the NDA meeting today in New Delhi.

Weakened majority for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s alliance could pose challenges for the more ambitious elements of the government’s reform agenda, Fitch Ratings said in a note on Wednesday.

- Reuters

Though Punjab voted emphatically against the BJP, farmer groups are worried that the victory of two independent candidates, Amritpal Singh and Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa, may polarise the society on communal lines.

Farmers organisations in the State had run parallel campaigns against the BJP, which observers see as having helped the Congress and AAP secure 10 out of the 13 seats in the State and win Chandigarh.

Click below to read the full analysis by A.M. Jigeesh:

Farm outfits fear the return of communal politics in Punjab

Though Punjab voted emphatically against the BJP, farmer groups are worried that the victory of two independent candidates, Amritpal Singh and Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa, may polarise the society on communal lines.

Telegu Desam Party Chief Chandrababu Naidu who has emerged as the kingmaker in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections is scheduled to hold a press conference in Delhi today.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu are scheduled to arrive in Delhi today as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the INDIA alliance vie for coalition partners to form a government.

- ANI

On the domestic equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 172.89 points to 72,251.94 in early trade. The NSE Nifty went up 39.25 points to 21,923.75.

Both the indices ended more than 6% lower on Tuesday amid fear selling after the counting of votes showed disappointing results for the BJP-led NDA in the Lok Sabha elections with the alliance facing losses in its strongholds in the Hindi heartland, although it is expected to form the government with about 290 seats.

​Read more on this here...​

Despite both Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar having the bulk of MPs and MLAs with them, the alliance ultimately damaged the BJP, with factors like poor candidate selection and festering regional animosities among local satraps severely impacting the ruling coalition’s performance. 

According to sources, there is intense speculation of a possible ‘course correction’ ahead of the State Assembly election, which is likely to held in October this year.

Click here to read the full analysis by Shoumojit Banerjee on how the Maharashtra results have been a near-decimation for Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s ruling NCP faction, while the performance of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena left a lot to be desired. 

Leaders from several countries congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his ruling ​BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won a majority​ in the ​Lok Sabha elections​, paving the way for his third term in office.

​Read more on this here...​

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Following are the number of seats won by parties in all States and Union Territories in the Lok Sabha elections, according to the Election Commission website: 

BJP - 240 

Congress - 99 

Samajwadi Party - 37 

Trinamool Congress - 29

DMK - 22 

Telugu Desam Party - 16 

JD(U) - 12 

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackrey) - 9 

NCP (Sharad Pawar) - 8 

Shiv Sena - 7 

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) - 5 

YSRCP - 4 

RJD - 4 

CPI(M) - 4 

Indian Union Muslim League - 3 

AAP - 3 

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha - 3 

Janasena Party - 2

CPI (ML) (Liberation) - 2 

JD(S) - 2 

Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi - 2 

CPI - 2 

Rashtriya Lok Dal - 2 

National Conference - 2 

United People’s Party, Liberal - 1 

Asom Gana Parishad - 1

Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) - 1 

Kerala Congress - 1 

Revolutionary Socialist Party - 1

NCP - 1 

Voice of the People Party - 1 

Zoram People’s Movement - 1 

Shiromani Akali Dal - 1

Rashtriya Loktantrik Party - 1 

Bharat Adivasi Party - 1 

Sikkim Krantikari Morcha - 1 

Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam - 1 

Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) - 1 

Apna Dal (Soneylal) - 1

AJSU Party - 1 

AIMIM - 1

Independent - 7

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM)‘s Asaduddin Owaisi, who registered his fifth consecutive win from Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency, said that his party would play its part in a scenario that involves a “non-BJP, non-NDA” prime ministerial candidate.

“If the situation so arises that Narendra Modi does not become Prime Minister for a third term, and if we are needed, we certainly will support this move. It is because we publicly took a stand to stop BJP [from coming to power]. We want to tell Narendra Modi to see why this verdict has come. He has to introspect,” Mr. Owaisi said.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold a record ₹124.36 billion rupees worth of Indian shares, as NSE Nifty 50 and S&P BSE Sensex logged their worst day in more than four years, provisional data from the National Stock Exchange showed.

Both the benchmark indexes dropped about 6% each on concerns about policy continuity against the backdrop of Prime Narendra Modi’s alliance heading for a narrow majority in the country’s 543-member parliament.

This was the worst session since March 2020 for both the blue-chip indexes, when markets tanked due to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.

- Reuters

Priyanka Jarkiholi from Chikkodi became the youngest tribal woman to enter Parliament from an unreserved seat in Karnataka since independence. In fact, BJP won all the seats in Mumbai Karnataka, except Chikkodi.

Ms. Priyanka will also be among the youngest persons to ever the Parliament. She is 27 years, 1 month, 18 days old as of June 4. The minimum age for contesting Parliament polls is 25 years.

As we look forward to what happens next, much will depend on how the BJP reads the result. The BJP remains the single largest party in India and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will likely form the government with Narendra Modi as Prime Minister again. From his days in Gujarat to his meteoric rise to power at the Centre in 2014, political centralisation has been core to Prime Minister Modi’s model of governance. There is little to suggest that he will change tack now. This forms the critical question for governance going forward.

Click here to read this exclusive analysis by Yamini Aiyar on how the average voter’s anxieties framed the contours of the 2024 election and much will depend on how the BJP responds to this

In the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s reduced score in Uttar Pradesh, the Western and adjoining central parts of the State played the role of a wind vane. The BJP was aware of the change in the political climate. That is why it got on board Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) to reduce the losses in the region affected by farmers’ agitation and protests against the treatment meted out to the women wrestlers.

Despite the RLD’s muscle and the BSP staying out of the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc, out of the 26 seats, the NDA has won only 13 seats. In 2019, its tally was 18.

Click here to read this analysis by Anuj Kumar on the results of Uttar Pradesh

“Congratulations to @narendramodi on the new electoral victory and my warmest wishes for good work. Certain that we will continue to work together to strengthen the friendship that unites Italy and India and consolidate cooperation on the various issues that bind us, for the well-being of our Nations and our peoples,” Italian PM Meloni said in a post on X.

At least 15 Muslim candidates have won Lok Sabha seats across the country, including the TMC nominee and former India cricketer Yusuf Pathan who secured a comfortable victory over Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in the Congress veteran’s Baharampur bastion.

A total of 78 Muslims were in the fray in the Lok Sabha elections this year, a significant drop from the last polls when 115 Muslim candidates were fielded by various parties.

In terms of population based on religion, the Muslim community stands second in the country. Although Muslim voters are seen as a decisive factor in each election season, representation for the community, even in States where it forms a sizeable percentage of the population, remains low.

Click here to read this analysis on the diminishing number of Muslim legislators

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, these two States showed some remarkable similarities. The DMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu secured all the 39 seats (plus one in Puducherry), which could be explained by some as the consequence of the splintering of the BJP-AIADMK alliance. But that would only be a partial reading. 

Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party and the Congress coalition also managed a cohesion that went beyond an alliance of necessity.

Click below to read the full analysis by Srinivasan Ramani

Election results 2024: The similarities between two very different States

Election results 2024: The results in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu herald the possibilities of a new form of progressivism

At least five candidates, including four from the BJP, crushed the previous record for the highest victory margin in the Lok Sabha elections, with Indore’s incumbent MP Shankar Lalwani of the BJP topping the list with a winning margin of 11.72 lakh votes.

The Congress’ Rakibul Hussain scored the second-highest victory margin with 10.12 lakh from Dhubri in Assam.

Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan won from Vidisha by 8.21 lakh votes -- the third highest margin -- followed by the BJP’s CR Patil, who recorded a margin of 7.73 lakh from Navsari in Gujarat.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah won from Gandhinagar by a margin of over 7.44 lakh votes.

Patil, a three-term MP from Navsari, held the record for the second-highest margin after he won by 6.89 lakh votes in 2019. He has now broken his own record.

Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia won from Guna in Madhya Pradesh by more than 5.40 lakh votes.

- PTI

Caste identity triumphed over religious polarisation in Uttar Pradesh as the INDIA bloc’s promise of saving rozi roti (employment) and reservation outshone Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance’s narrative of Ram, ration, and shashan (governance) in a fiercely contested election where more than a dozen seats went down to the wire before the Opposition alliance secured 44 out of 80 seats bringing down the NDA tally from 64 to 35.

Also, the fact that the BJP lost Ayodhya and Muzaffarnagar, the epicentres of Hindu assertion in the State, proves that the Hindutva wand has begun to corrode.

Click here to read more on how the opposition upset the BJP’s current streak in Uttar Pradesh

The U.S. has commended the Indian government and the people for successfully participating and completing the Lok Sabha elections.

“On behalf of the United States, we want to commend the government of India and voters there for successfully completing and participating in such a massive electoral undertaking, and we look forward to seeing the final results,” State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at his daily news conference on Tuesday.

“First of all, our understanding is that the election results have not been finalised. So we will wait for the finalisation of those election results before we offer any definitive comment,” Miller said when asked to comment on the results.

“I’m also not going to comment on winners and losers in an election, as is our case around the world. What is important for us and what we have seen over the past six weeks is the largest exercise of democracy in history as the Indian people came to the polls,” he added.

He also denied reports of external influence in Indian elections by Western powers, including the U.S.

- PTI