Election Results 2024 Live Updates , Lok Sabha Election: Record-equalling third-term for Modi or will Opposition halt BJP juggernaut? – India News

Most brokerages are bullish on the prospect of the BJP returning to power with a clear majority. They see the continuity in government as a sign of continuity in policy and have expressed optimism of a strong government pulling in higher foreign investments. The brokerages also see the BJP government at the Centre sustaining its push for manufacturing and keeping the eoconmy on the right track.

Exit Polls are barely projections based on surveys on a certain sample size and are thus only seen as an indication at best of which way an election verdict could go. Exit polls have got it wrong on multiple occasions in the past. Ahead of the 2004 Lok Sabha election results, the exit polls had unanimously predicted a clear win for the NDA. However, the results turned out to be otherwise. In the last two elections though, the NDA’s tally has been higher than what tyhe exit polls have predicted.

Markets closed at record highs on Monday with the BSE Sensex closing over 2,500 points higher while the 50-stock Nifty saw its biggest single-day gain in four years. The cheer in markets was seen as an impact of the exit polls predicting a clear majority for the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. Adani Group stocks surged 18.5 per cent during the day. Its market cap reached the levels before the Hindenburg controversy sent it on a downward spiral.

The challenge for the Congress in case of a loss, as predicted by exit polls, would be in keeping the alliance of 23 Opposition parties intact. The COngress hopes to keep the alliance running at least till the conduct of Assembly elections in Maharashtra and other states in the coming 1-2 years.

The exit polls have shown the BJP losing a few seats in Rajasthan and Haryana – states it swept in the 2014 and 2019 elections. The reason could be the simmering anger against the BJP among Jats and Rajputs over its handling of a host of issues.

The exit polls have shown the BJP making significant inroads into the southern and eastern states of India. Exit polls have shown the BJP adding to its tally in West Bengal and Odisha and is expected to open its account in Kerala and Tamil Nadu – states it drew a blank in 2019. Experts believe that the minor losses projected in northern and central India can easily be covered by the gains BJP is seen making in the southern and eastern regions of the country.

Several retired jurists have expressed concerns over the manner in which the general elections were conducted by the ECI. In a letter to President Droupadi Murmu, the judges pointed to the ECI’s refusal to disclose the exact numbers of votes cast in each booth of every constituency, its refusal to make Form 17(c) of the Conduct of Election Rules and minimal action taken against the hate speeches by leaders of the ruling and Opposition parties. The signatories to the letter included Former judges of the Madras high including Justices G M Akbar Ali, Aruna Jagadeesan, D Hariparanthaman, PR Sivakumar, S VImala and CT Selvam and Anjana Prakash of the Patna High Court.

Despite the exit polls predicting a third straight term for the Modi government, the Congress party on Sunday maintained that the INDIA alliance would win 295 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats and form a government at the Centre. The tally, Congress claims, is based on its own internal survey across 543 constituencies.

As per Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, Jammu and Kashmir recorded its highest turnout in over four decades. As per EC data, the voter turnout was recorded at 58.58 per cent overall and 51.05 per cent in the Kashmir Valley.

The Election Commission of India said that seizures during the polling period went up by over 175 per cent since the last general elections. As pert the EC, cash, freebies, drugs and liquor worth Rs 10,000 crore were seized during this election as compared to Rs 3,500 crore in 2019.

The Election Commission of India on Monday claimed that a record 64 crore voters exercised their franchise in the seven-phase elections that concluded on June 1. This, as per CEC Rajiv Kumar, is the highest ever for India and a world record. “India created a world record with 64.2 crore voters, including 31.2 crore women, participating in the Lok Sabha elections this year,” said CEC Kumar.

Almost half of all candidates in the fray from the 543 Lok Sabha seats are Independent candidates. As per a report by PRS Legislative Research, a total of 8,360 candidates are contesting in the Lok Sabha elections of which 16 per cent have been fielded by national parties, six per cent by state parties while a resounding 47 per cent are Independents. This is the highest number of candidates ever to contest a Lok Sabha election. The previous high was 8,039 candidates.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress has fielded 282 candidates out of 543, its lowest-ever tally of candidates in any Lok Sabha election. This compromise is a consequence of the alliance it has formed with several like-minded parties across states. The BJP, on the other hand, is contesting on 433 of the 543 seats while other NDA partners are in fray in the remaining 110 seats.

The general elections are a test for Congress and its leadership, particularly Rahul Gandhi, following two back-to-back defeats in the 2014 and 2019 general elections. The Congress has also led the formation of the INDIA bloc of 23 Opposition parties with the aim of preventing the division of votes and dethroning the Modi government from power.

All exit polls have predicted a clear majority for the BJP-led NDA, with at least three agencies predicting 400 or more seats on the higher side of their range. An average of all exit polls shows the NDA winning 350-365 seats, equalling the NDA’s 2019 tally.

Despite its many successes over the past decade, the BJP has so far failed to make its mark in any election in Kerala. This time though, the exit polls have predicted that the BJP may finally open its account in the state, with the likelihood of winning 2-3 seats.

Odisha (21 Lok Sabha seats), Uttar Pradesh (80 seats), Bihar (40 seats), West Bengal (42 seats) and Maharashtra (48 seats) are set to witness an interesting electoral contest. While UP is seen as the gateway to power and is seen as the gateway to power in Delhi, West Bengal and Odisha are states where the BJP is up against regional behemoths. Bihar and Maharashtra, on the other hand, are states which have seen significant political turbulence since the 2019 elections.

Much of the BJP‘s chances of returning to power will depend on how the BJP performs in the Hindi heartland states. Seen as BJP strongholds, states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh, that cumulatively account for around 200 seats, hold the key to the return of the BJP government to power at the Centre.

The latest constituency-wise trends and results for the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections will be available on the official website of the Election Commission of India (ECI). Citizens can visit the ECI website – https://results.eci.gov.in/ – and check the results. Alternatively, you can also check results on the Voter Helpline App, available on Android and iOS users.

Welcome to our live coverage of the Lok Sabha Election Results. Stay with us as we bring you real-time updates on all the trends, leads and results from the Election Commission of India.