India (Commonwealth Union)_ The world’s biggest democratic exercise has come to an end with the vote counting underway to elect the country’s prime minister. Accordingly, following months of meticulous groundwork and weeks of vigorous ground-level campaigning, the culmination finally unfolded today. However, critical inquiries still prevail about whether the BJP-led NDA will secure a third consecutive term, and whether the opposition, united under the banner of INDIA, will equally challenge PM Modi. Furthermore, will this election unveil unforeseen developments? These queries find resolution today as the Election Commission unveils the outcomes of the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
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As declared by the Election Commission, the process commenced at 8 am, with the tallying of postal ballots taking precedence across all counting centers. Subsequently, thirty minutes post-initiation of postal ballot counting, the enumeration of votes cast via electronic voting machines (EVMs) commenced. The order of the process is as follows: postal ballots first, followed by EVM votes, concluding with the matching of Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips with EVM outcomes.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi spearheaded the BJP’s campaign, engaging in over 200 public engagements, encompassing rallies and roadshows. Conversely, the INDIA bloc orchestrated joint rallies featuring opposition leaders. Tallying is well underway across India, necessitating the tabulation of approximately 642 million ballots. This represents a voter turnout of 66.3%, within a broader electorate of 968 million individuals, the largest globally. Although marginally lower than the 67.34% turnout recorded in the preceding 2019 election, Election Commission head Rajiv Kumar lauded this participation rate as a world record.
According to some analysts, the reduced turnout was due to the scorching temperatures witnessed in several regions during the long election period, with temperatures exceeding 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) in some parts of northern India. Returning to vote counting results, initial trends in the counting phase indicate the BJP, under Modi’s leadership, is leading the pack. As per data released by the Election Commission of India’s website roughly four hours into the vote counting process, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was leading in 243 of the total 543 seats.
Furthermore, the ruling party has secured an uncontested victory in Surat, Gujarat, following the disqualification of a Congress candidate due to discrepancies in proposer signatures, with eight other contenders withdrawing before the polls. Furthermore, a parliamentary majority necessitates 272 seats. While the preliminary figures offer Modi’s party a significant advantage, the opposition displays unexpected resilience. However, the Election Commission refrains from revealing the percentage of votes tabulated, yet counting will persist throughout the day, with preliminary figures subject to change.
The 2024 Lok Sabha elections unfolded across seven phases, spanning from April 19 to June 1. Twenty states, including Delhi, held single-phase voting. Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir witnessed five-phase polling, while Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal engaged in all seven phases. Dual-phase polling occurred in Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tripura, and Manipur. Chhattisgarh and Assam witnessed three phases, while Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Jharkhand underwent four-phase polling. According to a report by PRS Legislative Research, 8,360 candidates from 744 parties, including six nationally recognized parties, vied for victory for 543 seats.
Additionally, expectations diverged between political factions and exit polls. The INDIA bloc exuded confidence in securing a majority, with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge asserting a projected win of at least 295 seats. Contrarily, the other exit polls foresaw a third term for the BJP-led NDA. These projections suggest that the BJP, championing the ‘400 paar’ slogan, could approach the massive figure. Overall, a total of five exit polls indicate that the BJP-led NDA may clinch 379 seats. Conversely, the INDIA bloc, led by the Congress, is anticipated to secure 136 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. However, the final results of the world’s largest democratic exercise will be announced immediately after the vote counting, deciding the fate of the world’s third largest economy and the world’s most populous nation.
