The BJP-led NDA is heading towards a majority in the Lok Sabha polls but with reduced strength from its 2019 tally as the opposition INDIA alliance put up a strong performance, riding on the gains by its constituents with Congress also showing resilience in the crucial electoral fight. The BJP-led NDA is leading on 295 seats, the INDIA bloc is ahead on 231 seats and others on 17, according to the latest Election Commission trends.
In the counting taken up on Tuesday after the marathon seven-phased Lok Sabha election, the states presented contrasting pictures with BJP gaining ground in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh but poised to suffer losses in crucial Hindi heartland states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana. Some big names from the BJP including Union Minister Smriti Irani, Maneka Gandhi and Ajay Kumar Teni are trailing.
The latest Election Commission data shows that BJP has won one seat and is leading on 239, Congress (97), Samajwadi Party (37), All India Trinamool Congress (31), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (21), Telugu Desam Party 16), Janata Dal (United) - JD(U) (15), Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackrey) (10), Nationalist Congress Party - Sharadchandra Pawar (8), Shiv Sena (6), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) (5), Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (4), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (4), Rashtriya Janata Dal (3), Indian Union Muslim League (3), Aam Aadmi Party (3), Janasena Party (2), Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (Liberation) - (2), Janata Dal (Secular) - JD(S) (2), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (2), Communist Party of India (2), Rashtriya Lok Dal - RLD (2), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (2) and Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (2).
The parties leading on one seat each are United People's Party, Liberal - UPPL, Asom Gana Parishad - AGP, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) - HAMS, Kerala Congress - KEC, Revolutionary Socialist Party - RSP, Nationalist Congress Party - NCP, Voice of the People Party - VOTPP, Zoram People's Movement - ZPM, Biju Janata Dal - BJD, Shiromani Akali Dal - SAD, Rashtriya Loktantrik Party - RLTP, Bharat Adivasi Party - BHRTADVSIP, Sikkim Krantikari Morcha - SKM, Pattali Makkal Katchi - PMK, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam - MDMK, Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam - DMDK, Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) - ASPKR, Apna Dal (Soneylal) - ADAL, AJSU Party - AJSUP, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen - AIMIM. Independents are leading on six seats.
The BJP-led NDA appears far from its target of "400 paar" with BJP falling behind a simple majority in Lok Sabha , according to the latest trends. The BJP had won a majority on its own in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls. It won 282 seats in 2014 and improved its tally to 303 seats in 2019 elections. The BJP had set a target of winning 370 seats in the 2024 general elections.The BJP-led NDA, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, fought Lok Sabha elections for a third straight term in office.
AAP, which contested 22 seats, has not done well and is leading in three seats in Punjab. The party is trailing on all seats in the national capital, where it is in power. BJP's allies TDP and JD-U have done well and have shown a good strike rate. While TDP is poised to win 16 seats, JD-U is ahead in 15 seats. The NDA with TDP in the lead is also poised to form government in Andhra Pradesh by ousting the YSCRP government led by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. TDP is leading on 133 of 175 assembly seats in the state.
The most remarkable story for the opposition is from Uttar Pradesh where the Samajwadi Party belied the prediction of pollsters and is ahead of BJP, according to the latest trends from the Election Commission. While SP is leading on 37 seats in the state, BJP is leading on 32 seats. The Congress, which fought the election in alliance with the Samajwadi Party, has also done better and is leading on eight seats. BJP is trailing in Faizabad, which includes the temple town of Ayodhya.
BJP did exceedingly well in Odisha in both assembly and Lok Sabha polls. It looks poised to form its first government in Odisha by removing BJD, which has been in power in the state for over two decades under Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The BJP is poised to win 19 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha with Congress and the ruling BJD slated to win one seat each. In assembly polls, the BJP has crossed the halfway mark in trends and is leading in 75 of 147 seats with BJD leading in 55, Congress 15, CPI-M one and independents one.
In Maharashtra, the INDIA alliance parties have given a jolt to the ruling alliance that includes the BJP. The INDIA alliance parties are leading on 30 seats - Congress 12, Shiv Sena (UBT) 11 and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) 7. BJP is leading on 11 seats and its allies - Shiv Sena on five seats and NCP one. In Haryana also, BJP lost its dominance of the last two Lok Sabha polls and is leading on five seats. Congress is also leading on the other five seats in the state. Both Maharashtra and Harayna will face assembly polls later this year.
In West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress has given a strong fight to BJP and is leading on 31 seats. The BJP, which won 18 seats in 2019, is leading on 10 seats and Congress on one. The Congress managed to reduce BJP's domination in Gujarat, the home state of PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. While the BJP is leading on 23 seats, the Congress is leading on two seats. The BJP has already won the Surat Lok Sabha seat.
Congress did not perform according to its expectations in party-ruled Telangana and Karnataka. But it improved its tally compared to 2019 elections. BJP is leading on 16 seats in Karantaka, Congress on 10 and JD-(S) on two. JD-S is an ally of BJP. In Telangana, BJP and Congress are leading on eight seats each and AIMIM is leading on one. Punjab presented a mixed bag with Congress leading on seven, AAP on 3, Shiromani Akali Dal on one and independents on two.
BJP retained its domination in Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh. NDA is poised to do well in Bihar, belying the expectations of the INDIA bloc. It is ahead on 33 of 40 Lok Sabah seats. The RJD could not pull votes in its favour in the way Samajawadi Party did in Uttar Pradesh and is leading on three seats. Congress is ahead on one seat. DMK maintained its domination in Tamil Nadu and the INDIA bloc almost repeated its performance in the southern state.
While the Congress-led UDF maintained its dominance in Kerala, there is good news for BJP as well which is posed to open its Lok Sabha account from the southern state. The BJP is ahead on one seat in the state. Congress is ahead on 14 seats, IUML on 2, CPI-M and RSP on one each. (ANI)
