Results of Lok Sabha Election 2024: Modi 3.0 or I.N.D.I.A Shining? Counting Today

Most exit polls predicted an edge for the party in the recent election. The INDIA bloc, comprised of the Samajwadi Party and the Congress in the state, held a slender lead over NDA in a close race.

The BJP is trailing in West Bengal, Maharashtra, Haryana, and has yet to secure a seat in Punjab, while making gains in Odisha, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and to some extent, Telangana. Voting was carried out for 543 Lok Sabha seats over seven phases, concluding on Saturday with the majority mark at 272.

Additionally, votes for assembly elections in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh are being counted. In Andhra Pradesh, the TDP led by Chandrababu Naidu is in the lead, while in Odisha, the BJP has taken a lead over the ruling BJD.

Three exit polls have predicted a 400-plus score for the BJP-led NDA, with differing opinions on the margin of victory, which the Opposition has dismissed due to the historically mixed accuracy of exit polls. The ruling coalition’s offensive against the opposition was notably different from the lack of cohesiveness seen in 2019.

Although the initial stages were patchy, the narrative on changes in the constitution and reservation abolishment made an impact. The lineups of the two sides have also changed compared to 2019, with Maharashtra playing a central role in the shake-up.

NDA ally Shiv Sena left the alliance and joined the opposition ranks, while Maharashtra powerhouse Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) also split, with some factions joining the NDA. The election took place amid allegations of the government’s misuse of investigative agencies to target opposition leaders.