Daily Briefing: All you need to know about Lok Sabha Election Results 2024

PM Narendra Modi at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi after securing a third term. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)

In her column, Neerja Chowdhury writes, “If one word can sum up the outcome of the 2024 elections, it is the Hindi word, ”ankush,” (restraint) that the Indian voter has exercised — she has given the BJP the mandate to rule for a third term — but has also reined it in.”

The verdict is as much about the INDIA bloc’s story. Defying all predictions, the Opposition put up a power fight and claimed 233 seats. The Congress has not outrightly ruled out the possibility of exploring the options for government formation. What could be next for the INDIA bloc? Manoj C G reports

Rahul Gandhi at a press conference in New Delhi after securing twin wins in Wayanad and Rae Bareli (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)

The result means that there would be a coalition government at the Centre after a decade. It is likely to impact relationships in the NDA, within the BJP and between the BJP and the RSS. We explain.

Meanwhile, the INDIA bloc’s powerfight was also driven by the Samajwadi Party, which dislodged the BJP to win the highest number of seats in Uttar Pradesh. How did BJP lose the UP plot? Local disconnect, Agniveer, ticket choice and caste equations could be the factors.

Samajwadi Party workers celebrate their win in Uttar Pradesh (Express Photo by Vishal Srivastava)

In Maharashtra, the BJP’s tally fell from 23 to 9 as its Mahayuti allies performed  poorly. Was it the sympathy factor for Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar – whose parties were split up shortly before the elections – or the OBC vs Maratha factor? We decode

In Bengal, the Trinamool Congress beat anti-incumbency and continued to dominate the state. The BJP, meanwhile, lost key ground in the state. Here’s what worked for the TMC.

So what’s next? Suhas Palshikar, in our Opinion section, writes, “The outcome only opens up the possibility of staging a counter. Following its defeat, the BJP will resume its core politics from the next day. Will the non-BJP parties realise that this is not a victory for them but only an opportunity to define their politics sooner than later?”

We also take a look at what a coalition government could mean for BJP’s big plans — from one-poll push to delimitation.

Until tomorrow,

Sonal Gupta

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