Counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections for 542 constituencies is currently under way. While the Lok Sabha has 543 members, counting is being held for 542 seats after the BJP's Surat candidate Mukesh Dalal was elected unopposed, The Times of India reported.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) surged ahead in very early trends, securing leads in over 250 parliamentary seats with the Opposition INDIA bloc putting up a strong fight, leading in around 150 seats as the counting of votes for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections began on Tuesday morning after a gruelling election that was held in seven phases, staggered between April 11 and May 19.
As the nation eagerly awaits the outcome of the Lok Sabha election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi aims to secure a historic third consecutive term in office.
The opposition bloc, INDIA, hopes to pull off an upset, but the odds seem to favor the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Exit polls have unanimously predicted that the NDA is closer to achieving Modi's ambitious goal of 400 seats for his alliance while the INDIA bloc is expected to win 180 seats, which represents one-third of the total seats.
The results will reveal whether the Congress possesses the organizational strength and leadership to challenge the BJP, as its influence has dwindled across the country since 2014. The party has failed to secure even the main opposition party status in two consecutive Lok Sabha polls and has been significantly weakened in several states, particularly in the Hindi heartland.
The verdict will also determine the fate of regional stalwarts like Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray, whose parties have allied with the BJP and who have campaigned intensely to win public support for their factions.
Apart from PM Modi, who is seeking a third consecutive term from Varanasi, senior cabinet members like Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh are also in the fray, and their victory margins will be closely monitored.
As per the Election Commission of India, 64.2 crore voters, including 31.2 crore women, participated in the 2024 General Elections to elect 543 members of the Lok Sabha from over 8,000 candidates from more than 700 parties. (With inputs from media outlets of India)
