Congress President Kharge Calls Lok Sabha Results A "Moral and Political Defeat" For PM Modi

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday described the Lok Sabha election results 2024 as a clear mandate against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling it his “moral and political defeat.”Speaking at a press conference with party colleagues Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, Kharge said, “This election results are ‘janta ka result’…They are clear this mandate is against Modi ji. This is his moral and political defeat.”When asked about the chances of the INDIA bloc forming a government, Rahul Gandhi said, “We will hold a meeting with our alliance partners tomorrow. These questions will be raised and answered there. We won’t make any statements without asking our alliance partners.”

BJP’s Kangana Ranaut Wins Mandi Seat in Himachal Pradesh

Actor Kangana Ranaut, known for movies like Queen and Tanu Weds Manu, has won the Mandi Lok Sabha seat in Himachal Pradesh on her electoral debut by a margin of 74,755 votes, according to the Election Commission of India. She defeated Congress leader Vikramaditya Singh, the son of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.

BJP Leaders Retain Bastions in North Karnataka

Former Karnataka chief minister Jagdish Shettar won the Belgaum Lok Sabha constituency, overcoming a challenge from the Congress’s Mrunal Hebbalkar. As of 4 pm, Shettar held a lead of 1.60 lakh votes.Union minister Pralhad Joshi was declared elected from the Dharwad constituency by a margin of around 97,000 votes, defeating the Congress’s Vinod Asooti.The BJP has held a strong grip over these seats since the 90s. Belgaum has been a bastion for the party, with Suresh Angadi winning the seat four times in a row before his demise in 2019.The Congress was hopeful that the switch of Lingayat voters that powered the party to win five out of eight assembly seats falling in the Belgaum Lok Sabha constituency in the 2023 polls would continue for the Lok Sabha polls. However, Shettar’s victory suggests otherwise.