Today’s vote count:
Nonetheless, exit polls consistently suggest that the NDA will come closer to achieving Modi’s lofty “400-point” goal for his alliance than the INDIA bloc will, if it is to even surpass the 180-point threshold.
New Delhi: As the Lok Sabha election draws to a close on Tuesday, marking the completion of an extensive 80-day polling process, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is aiming for a record-tying third consecutive term in office, while the opposition INDIA alliance hopes to pull off a surprise.
today’s vote count: Although the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has long been considered the front-runner in the polls, there is much riding on the ruling coalition’s ability to win and expand into new areas. The opposition has even more stakes because of its shrinking national footprint.
According to exit polls,the NDA is more likely to achieve Modi’s grandiose goal of “400 paar” for his alliance than the INDIA group, which is to even surpass the 180-seat threshold, or one-third of the total number of seats.
This time around, opposition parties have been more acerbic in their criticism of the polling process and the Election Commission (EC), even though electoral results have generally been reluctantly accepted by all parties.
today’s vote count: The bitterness between the two opposing camps throughout the campaign has permeated the post-election charges as the exit polls indicated a landslide victory for the ruling alliance, a prediction that Congressman Rahul Gandhi brushed off as a “Modi media poll” in the lead-up to the counting.
Leaders of the INDIA bloc, who have been casting doubt on the electronic voting machines (EVMs), marched to the European Commission (EC) and urged the vote monitor to adhere to the counting criteria. They also accused the prime minister of sending a message to bureaucrats through these “fantasy” exit polls.
today’s vote count:In a counteroffensive, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has requested that the Election Commission (EC) stop any attempt at “violence and unrest” during the vote-counting process, accusing its opponents of attempting to compromise the credibility of India’s electoral process.
today’s vote count: A major part of the reservation meant for the Other Backward Classes (OBC) was allegedly given to Muslims by the Congress and its allies, and the BJP, led by Prime Minister Modi, centred its campaign on the opposition’s “appeasement politics” and claimed to be eyeing people’s family assets in order to advance its “redistribution of wealth” agenda.
Though the opposition accused them of conducting a divisive and communal campaign to polarize voters, subjects of national and cultural pride, the government’s welfare packages, and general political stability and economic prosperity also featured heavily in the speeches of BJP leaders.
With Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar challenging the opposition on Monday to provide proof of attempts to sway the voting process, the EC has rejected the opposition’s criticism of the way it conducted the votes.
The outcome will demonstrate if the Congress’s structure and leadership are strong enough to take on the BJP in light of its declining national influence after 2014. In two successive Lok Sabha elections, it has not even been able to secure the status of the main opposition party. In numerous states, particularly in the Hindi heartland, it has become a mere shell of its former self.
President Mallikarjun Kharge and chief campaigner Rahul Gandhi, among others, have declared that their coalition will secure 295 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha, bringing a stop to the Modi era.
Leaders of the INDIA group are certain that their alliance will win support from the general public because it has been able to mold the poll narrative around its core platforms of welfarism and a claimed threat to the Constitution from an all-powerful saffron onslaught.
If the BJP holds onto power, Modi will tie the milestone set by Jawaharlal Nehru, the nation’s first prime minister, for guiding his party to three consecutive electoral triumphs.
today’s vote count:
Along with numerous regional parties like the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Biju Janata Dal (BJD), and YSR Congress, which rule West Bengal, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh, respectively, the Left too faces an unclear future.
The BJP shocked everyone by emerging as the dominant second force in the two eastern states in 2019, and exit polls indicate that it may unseat the two regional parties from the top spot in these polls. Prime Minister Modi has led a concerted effort by the party to increase its strength in these states.
In Odisha, assembly elections coincided with the national election. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s BJD, which has ruled the state since 2000, and the BJP are engaged in a bitter power struggle. Simultaneous assembly elections were conducted in Andhra Pradesh, ruled by the YSRCP.
The BJP has no seats at the moment but is expected to pick up some this time around; thus, another topic that has garnered attention is whether it can become a powerful force in Kerala, which is dominated by the Left, and Tamil Nadu.
Kerala is the only state where the Left is still a powerful force after losing ground in its previous strongholds of Bengal and Tripura. A poor performance by the Left will further dim its prospects nationwide.