New Delhi : As the counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections progresses, early trends from the Election Commission of India show the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leading in 152 seats, while the Congress is ahead in 61 seats.
According to the EC, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is leading in three seats. Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party is ahead in 27 seats, Telugu Desam in 10, Janata Dal (Secular) in two seats, Janata Dal (United) in one seat, Shiv Sena in three seats, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) – CPI(M) in four seats. Independent candidates are leading in seven seats, and the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party – YSRCP in two seats.
Other parties leading in one seat each include the Naga Peoples Front, Voice of the People Party, Zoram People’s Movement, Shiromani Akali Dal, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), Sikkim Krantikari Morcha, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) – LJPRV, Jammu and Kashmir People Conference, and the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, which is ahead in two seats.
Approximately 642 million people voted in the Lok Sabha elections, held over seven phases during a six-week period. Counting began with postal ballots amid tight security. Votes are also being counted for 175 Assembly constituencies in Andhra Pradesh, 147 Assembly constituencies in Odisha, and bypolls in 25 Assembly constituencies.
The BJP is aiming for a third consecutive term in power, while the opposition, under the umbrella of the INDIA bloc, seeks to challenge the ruling party. Most exit polls predicted another term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with many forecasting a two-thirds majority for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The Congress and its allies dismissed these exit polls as “orchestrated” and “fantasy,” asserting that the INDIA bloc would form the next government.
Strict security measures have been implemented to ensure the smooth counting of votes for over 8,000 candidates in this general election. Two exit polls predicted the BJP would increase its seat count from the 303 seats it won in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In 2019, the NDA secured 353 seats, with the BJP winning 303 of them. The opposition’s UPA managed to get 93 seats, with the Congress securing 52.
Even before the vote count began, the BJP secured one seat in the Surat Lok Sabha constituency, where Mukesh Dalal won unopposed after Congress nominee Nilesh Kumbhani’s candidacy was rejected due to alleged discrepancies in the signatures of the proposers.
The Lok Sabha elections for 543 seats in the lower house were conducted across seven phases.
