With the ongoing counting of votes in the Lok Sabha polls, initial trends by the Election Commission indicate the Bharatiya Janata Party leading on 42 seats. The BJP’s lead is followed by the Congress on 17 seats, with the Aam Aadmi Party trailing behind on four seats. Additionally, other parties like the Samajwadi Party, Telgu Desam, Hindustani Awa Morcha (Secular), and Janata Dal (Secular) are also leading on a few seats.
Over the course of seven phases spanning six weeks, more than 642 million people cast their votes in the Lok Sabha elections. The counting process commenced with the scrutiny of postal ballot papers, all under tight security measures. Apart from the Lok Sabha elections, the counting also includes State Legislative Assemblies of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, along with the results of bypolls in 25 Assembly constituencies.
While the Bharatiya Janata Party seeks a third consecutive term in power, the opposition INDIA bloc is determined to challenge its dominance. The majority of exit polls predicted another term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with some even projecting a two-thirds majority for the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). However, the Congress party and its allies dismissed these projections as “orchestrated” and “fantasy”, expressing confidence in the INDIA bloc forming the next government.
In anticipation of the counting process, strict security measures have been implemented to ensure the smooth conduct of vote counting for over 8,000 candidates in this general election. Additionally, prior to the commencement of the counting, the Bharatiya Janata Party secured one seat in Surat Lok Sabha, with Mukesh Dalal winning “unopposed” on April 22. The rejection of Congress nominee Nilesh Kumbhani’s nomination due to alleged discrepancies in proposers’ signatures also made headlines.
The Lok Sabha elections, spanning across seven phases for 543 seats, have drawn significant attention, with the final results scheduled to be announced on Tuesday, June 4.