INDIA bloc’s big gains, NDA target ‘400 paar’ fail

The early numbers suggest a significant gain for INDIA bloc, and Congress in particular, as compared to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The NDA was ahead on 289 seats and INDIA bloc on 236 seats.

On the other hand, as the trends show BJP falling short of achieving the mammoth figures. For the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP has set itself ambitious targets. While the party’s war cry was ‘400 paar’ for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), it also aimed to secure 370 seats on its own.

The Congress, which won just 52 seats in 2019, was leading in 97 parliamentary constituencies this time. In the previous election, the BJP had registered a thumping victory, winning 303 seats on its own, comfortably crossing the halfway mark of 272. The party had secured 37.36% of the total votes. The Congress, on the other hand, had secured only 19.5% of the total votes.

The vote share analysis at 1 pm showed NDA getting 46 percent of total votes polled, and INDIA bloc 42 percent.

The strike rate figures, referring to the share of seats won by a party or alliance of the overall seats it contested in an election, threw surprising numbers. The strike rate for BJP-led NDA was 53 percent, while the INDIA bloc had a 43 percent strike rate.

The Opposition alliance’s tally seems to be better in Uttar Pradesh. The early trends showed the INDIA bloc in a neck-and-neck fight in Uttar Pradesh. The Congress-Samajwadi Party combine then pulled ahead in the race, with trends at 1 pm showing the alliance leading on 43 seats. The BJP-RLD alliance was ahead by 36 seats.