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All 543 seats in the Lok Sabha 272 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Opinion polls | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Registered | 968,821,926 [1]( 6.24%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Turnout | 65.79% ( 1.61 pp) [2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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General elections were held in India from 19 April to 1 June 2024 in seven phases, to elect all 543 members of the Lok Sabha. [a] More than 968 million out of a population of 1.4 billion people were eligible to vote, equivalent to 70 percent of the total population. [3] [4] [5] 642 million voters participated in the election and 312 million of them were women, making it the highest ever participation by women voters. [6] [7] This was the largest-ever election, surpassing the previous election, and lasted 44 days, second only to the 1951–52 Indian general election. The legislative assembly elections in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, and Sikkim were held simultaneously with the general election, along with the by-elections for 25 constituencies in 12 legislative assemblies.
Incumbent prime minister Narendra Modi, who completed a second term, ran for a third consecutive term after his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had enjoyed an absolute majority (minimum of 272 seats) in the 2019 and 2014 elections. The primary opposition was the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), a coalition formed by the Indian National Congress (INC) and other regional parties.
Opinion surveys of mainstream media outlets projected a decisive victory for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Votes were counted and the result was declared on 4 June to form the 18th Lok Sabha. [8] The NDA led by BJP achieved a majority, winning 293 out of the 543 seats. [9] However, the BJP won 240 seats, down from the 303 seats it had secured in 2019, and lost its singular majority in the Lok Sabha. [10] The INDIA coalition outperformed expectations, securing 234 seats, 99 of which were won by INC, garnering the party the official opposition status for the first time in 10 years. [11] [12] [13] Seven independents and ten candidates from non-aligned parties also won the elections. [14] [15] [16]
On 7 June 2024, Narendra Modi submitted the letter of support of 293 MPs to Droupadi Murmu, the President of India and the President invited him to form the government. [17] This marked Modi's third term as the Prime Minister of India and his first time heading a coalition government, [18] with the Telugu Desam Party and Janata Dal (United) as major allies. [19] [20] [21]
India has a multi-party system with two major parties, namely the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian National Congress, that dominate politics at the national level. The BJP has governed the country with Narendra Modi at the helm since 2014. The tenure of the 17th Lok Sabha is scheduled to end on 16 June 2024. [22] The previous general election was held in April–May 2019, after which the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP, formed the union government, with Modi continuing as Prime Minister. [23] The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, comprising of 26 opposition parties, was formed in 2023 to contest against the NDA in the elections. [24]
Article 83 of the Constitution of India requires elections to the Lok Sabha to be held once every five years. [25] The 543 MPs are elected from single-member constituencies using first-past-the-post voting. [26] The 104th amendment to the constitution abolished the two seats that were reserved for the Anglo-Indian community. [27]
Indian citizens who are 18 years or older, ordinary residents of the polling area of the constituency and registered to vote (name included in the electoral rolls), possess a valid voter identification card issued by the Election Commission of India or equivalent are eligible to vote. [28] People convicted of electoral or other offenses are barred from voting. [29] Indians holding foreign citizenship are not eligible to vote as India. There is no postal or online absentee voting in India; members of the Indian diaspora are required to travel back to their home constituencies in order to cast a ballot. [30]
For the 2024 election, 968 million people were eligible to vote, an increase of about 150 million people from the 2019 election. [31] In Arunachal Pradesh, a polling station will be set up for the only registered voter in the village of Malogam, as electoral laws stipulate that voting booths need to be within two kilometres (1.2 mi) from any settlement. [32] [33] A polling station was also set up inside the Gir Forest in Gujarat to cater for a single voter, a priest at a Hindu temple. [34] Polling stations were also set up inside a wildlife sanctuary in Kerala, in a shipping container in Gujarat, and 320 relief camps hosting nearly 59,000 people displaced during violence in Manipur. [35] [36]
In March 2024, the Supreme Court of India rejected a petition by the Congress party to end the usage of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and revert to paper ballots and manual counting, which was the system used in elections until the late 1990s, with the party citing risks of electoral fraud. [37] Nearly 5.5 million EVMs were utilized in more than one million polling stations with 15 million election workers and security personnel tasked with managing the conduct of the election. [38]
For the first time, the Election Commission of India allowed voters with disabilities and those over the age of 85 to cast ballots from their homes. [39] In Telangana, voting in some areas was extended by an hour more to allow voters to come at a more convenient time. [40]
Key processes during a Lok Sabha election involved monitoring campaign expenditure, preventing the circulation of illicit goods, and ensuring adherence to the Model Code of Conduct. In the final 48 hours before voting, campaigns are ceased, and measures are implemented to maintain order and prevent disruptions. On polling day, strict rules are enforced to prevent undue influence and ensure a secure and free election process. After the elections, EVMs are sealed and stored under tight security with Booth Level Officers assisting throughout the process. [41]
The election schedule for the 18th Lok Sabha was announced by the Election Commission of India on 16 March 2024 and with it the Model Code of Conduct came into effect. [42] [43] [44] The tenure of the 17th Lok Sabha was scheduled to end on 16 June 2024. [45]
Poll event | Phase | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |
Notification date | 20 March | 28 March | 12 April | 18 April | 26 April | 29 April | 7 May |
Last date for filing nomination | 27 March | 4 April | 19 April | 25 April | 3 May | 6 May | 14 May |
Scrutiny of nomination | 28 March | 5 April | 20 April | 26 April | 4 May | 7 May | 15 May |
Last date for withdrawal of nomination | 30 March | 8 April | 22 April | 29 April | 6 May | 9 May | 17 May |
Date of poll | 19 April | 26 April | 7 May | 13 May | 20 May | 25 May | 1 June |
Date of counting of votes | 4 June 2024 | ||||||
No. of constituencies | 101+1⁄2 [b] | 87+1⁄2 [b] | 94 | 96 | 49 | 58 | 57 |
State/Union territory | Total constituencies | Election dates and number of constituencies | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Phase 1 | Phase 2 | Phase 3 | Phase 4 | Phase 5 | Phase 6 | Phase 7 | ||
19 April | 26 April | 7 May | 13 May | 20 May | 25 May | 1 June | ||
Andhra Pradesh | 25 | 25 | ||||||
Arunachal Pradesh | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Assam | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | ||||
Bihar | 40 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 |
Chhattisgarh | 11 | 1 | 3 | 7 | ||||
Goa | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Gujarat | 26 | 26 | ||||||
Haryana | 10 | 10 | ||||||
Himachal Pradesh | 4 | 4 | ||||||
Jharkhand | 14 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | |||
Karnataka | 28 | 14 | 14 | |||||
Kerala | 20 | 20 | ||||||
Madhya Pradesh | 29 | 6 | 6 [c] | 9 [c] | 8 | |||
Maharashtra | 48 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 13 | ||
Manipur | 2 | 1+1⁄2 [b] | 1⁄2 [b] | |||||
Meghalaya | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Mizoram | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Nagaland | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Odisha | 21 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | |||
Punjab | 13 | 13 | ||||||
Rajasthan | 25 | 12 | 13 | |||||
Sikkim | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Tamil Nadu | 39 | 39 | ||||||
Telangana | 17 | 17 | ||||||
Tripura | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||||
Uttar Pradesh | 80 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 |
Uttarakhand | 5 | 5 | ||||||
West Bengal | 42 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Chandigarh | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Delhi | 7 | 7 | ||||||
Jammu and Kashmir | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 [d] | ||
Ladakh | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Lakshadweep | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Puducherry | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Total constituencies | 543 | 101+1⁄2 | 87+1⁄2 | 94 | 96 | 49 | 58 | 57 |
Total constituencies by end of phase | – | 101+1⁄2 | 189 | 284 | 379 | 428 | 486 | 543 |
Percentage complete by end of phase | – | 18.7 | 34.8 | 52.3 | 69.8 | 78.8 | 89.5 | 100 |
The politics of India became increasingly bipolar in the run-up to the 2024 Indian general elections with two major alliances emerging; the incumbent National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). Six parties recognized as national parties contested the 2024 Indian general elections: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Indian National Congress (INC), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), National People's Party (NPP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) with all except the BSP being a part of one of the two alliances. [49] Apart from the national parties, regional parties (who are allotted fixed symbols) and other unrecognized parties and independents contested the election. [50]
The NDA is a big tent, mostly centre-right to right-wing political alliance led by the BJP.
INDIA is a big tent, mostly centre-left to left-wing bloc of opposition parties, which came together to contest against the NDA. [53] [54]
Party | States/UTs | Seats contested | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Indian National Congress | Karnataka | 28 | 285 | |
Madhya Pradesh | 27 | |||
Andhra Pradesh | 23 | |||
Gujarat | 23 | |||
Rajasthan | 22 | |||
Odisha | 20 | |||
Maharashtra | 17 | |||
Telangana | 17 | |||
Uttar Pradesh | 17 | |||
Kerala | 16 | |||
Assam | 13 | |||
Chhattisgarh | 11 | |||
Bihar | 9 | |||
Haryana | 9 | |||
Tamil Nadu | 9 | |||
Jharkhand | 7 | |||
Uttarakhand | 5 | |||
Himachal Pradesh | 4 | |||
Delhi | 3 | |||
Arunachal Pradesh | 2 | |||
Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman Diu | 2 | |||
Goa | 2 | |||
Jammu and Kashmir | 2 | |||
Manipur | 2 | |||
Meghalaya | 2 | |||
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | |||
Chandigarh | 1 | |||
Ladakh | 1 | |||
Lakshadweep | 1 | |||
Mizoram | 1 | |||
Nagaland | 1 | |||
Puducherry | 1 | |||
Sikkim | 1 | |||
Tripura | 1 | |||
Samajwadi Party | Uttar Pradesh | 62 | 37 | |
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | Tamil Nadu | 21 | ||
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) | Maharashtra | 21 | 9 | |
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) | Maharashtra | 10 | 8 | |
Rashtriya Janata Dal | Bihar | 23 | 4 | |
Jharkhand | 1 | |||
Aam Aadmi Party | Delhi | 4 | 7 | |
Gujarat | 2 | |||
Haryana | 1 | |||
Communist Party of India (Marxist) | Tamil Nadu | 2 | 6 | |
Andhra Pradesh | 1 | |||
Bihar | 1 | |||
Rajasthan | 1 | |||
Tripura | 1 | |||
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha | Jharkhand | 5 | 6 | |
Odisha | 1 | |||
Communist Party of India | Tamil Nadu | 2 | 4 | |
Andhra Pradesh | 1 | |||
Bihar | 1 | |||
Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation | Bihar | 3 | 4 | |
Jharkhand | 1 | |||
Jammu & Kashmir National Conference | Jammu and Kashmir | 3 | ||
Vikassheel Insaan Party | Bihar | 3 | ||
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi | Tamil Nadu | 2 | ||
All India Forward Bloc | Madhya Pradesh | 1 | ||
All India Trinamool Congress | Uttar Pradesh | 1 | ||
Assam Jatiya Parishad | Assam | 1 | ||
Bharat Adivasi Party | Rajasthan | 1 | ||
Indian Union Muslim League | Tamil Nadu | 1 | ||
Kongunadu Makkal Desia Katchi | Tamil Nadu | 1 | ||
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | Tamil Nadu | 1 | ||
Rashtriya Loktantrik Party | Rajasthan | 1 | ||
Total | 466 |
Parties | States/UTs | Seats contested | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
All India Trinamool Congress | West Bengal | 42 | 47 | |
Assam | 4 | |||
Meghalaya | 1 | |||
Communist Party of India (Marxist) | West Bengal | 23 | 46 | |
Kerala | 15 | |||
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | |||
Assam | 1 | |||
Jharkhand | 1 | |||
Karnataka | 1 | |||
Maharashtra | 1 | |||
Odisha | 1 | |||
Punjab | 1 | |||
Telangana | 1 | |||
Indian National Congress | Kerala | 16 | 43 | |
Punjab | 13 | |||
West Bengal | 13 | |||
Rajasthan | 1 | |||
All India Forward Bloc | Maharashtra | 8 | 31 | |
Andhra Pradesh | 5 | |||
Uttar Pradesh | 5 | |||
Telengana | 3 | |||
West Bengal | 3 | |||
Bihar | 2 | |||
Delhi | 2 | |||
Jammu and Kashmir | 2 | |||
Odisha | 1 | |||
Communist Party of India | Uttar Pradesh | 6 | 26 [59] | |
Jharkhand | 4 | |||
Kerala | 4 | |||
Madhya Pradesh | 3 | |||
Punjab | 3 | |||
West Bengal | 2 | |||
Assam | 1 | |||
Chhattisgarh | 1 | |||
Maharashtra | 1 | |||
Odisha | 1 | |||
Bharat Adivasi Party | Madhya Pradesh | 5 | 21 | |
Rajasthan | 5 | |||
Maharashtra | 4 | |||
Gujarat | 2 | |||
Jharkhand | 2 | |||
Andhra Pradesh | 1 | |||
Chhattisgarh | 1 | |||
Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman Diu | 1 | |||
Aam Aadmi Party | Punjab | 13 | 15 | |
Assam | 2 | |||
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi | Telangana | 7 | 11 | |
Karnataka | 2 | |||
Andhra Pradesh | 1 | |||
Kerala | 1 | |||
Revolutionary Socialist Party | Andhra Pradesh | 3 | 10 | |
West Bengal | 3 | |||
Punjab | 2 | |||
Kerala | 1 | |||
Telengana | 1 | |||
Samajwadi Party | Andhra Pradesh | 7 | 9 | |
Gujarat | 1 | |||
Odisha | 1 | |||
Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation | Andhra Pradesh | 1 | 3 | |
Odisha | 1 | |||
West Bengal | 1 | |||
Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party | Jammu and Kashmir | 3 | ||
Indian Union Muslim League | Kerala | 2 | ||
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) | Haryana | 1 | 2 | |
Lakshadweep | 1 | |||
Kerala Congress | Kerala | 1 | ||
Kerala Congress (M) | Kerala | 1 | ||
Total | 270 |
BSP leader Mayawati announced that her party will contest the election on its own in most states and ally with other non-BJP, non-Congress parties in a few states. [60] On 11 May 2023, Biju Janata Dal leader and then Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik said that his party would go alone for the Lok Sabha polls in Odisha after talks with the BJP fell through. [61]
Party/Alliance | States/UTs | Seats Contested | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Recognised Parties | ||||
Bahujan Samaj Party | Uttar Pradesh | 80 | TBD | |
West Bengal | 5 | |||
Bihar | ||||
Tamil Nadu | 39 | |||
Madhya Pradesh | 6 | |||
Andhra Pradesh | 25 | |||
Gujarat | 24 | |||
Rajasthan | 24 | |||
Karnataka | 21 | |||
Odisha | ||||
Kerala | 18 | |||
Telangana | ||||
Punjab | ||||
Chhattisgarh | 11 | |||
Delhi | 7 | |||
Uttarakhand | 5 | |||
Goa | 2 | |||
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | |||
DNHDD | 1 | |||
Puducherry | 1 | |||
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | Tamil Nadu | 34 | 36 | |
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | |||
Puducherry | 1 | |||
YSR Congress Party | Andhra Pradesh | 25 | ||
Biju Janata Dal | Odisha | 21 | ||
Bharat Rashtra Samithi | Telangana | 17 | ||
Shiromani Akali Dal | Punjab | |||
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen | Telangana | 15 | ||
Indian National Lok Dal | Haryana | |||
Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party | Jammu and Kashmir | |||
Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam | Tamil Nadu | 5 | ||
Bodoland People's Front | Assam | 4 | ||
All India United Democratic Front | Assam | 3 | ||
Revolutionary Goans Party | Goa | 2 | ||
Mizo National Front | Mizoram | 1 | ||
Sikkim Democratic Front | Sikkim | 1 | ||
Voice of the People Party | Meghalaya | 1 | ||
United Democratic Party | Meghalaya | 1 | ||
Zoram People's Movement | Mizoram | 1 | ||
Unrecognised parties | ||||
Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) | West Bengal | |||
Karnataka | 19 | |||
Kerala | 8 | |||
Assam | 6 | |||
Andhra Pradesh | 4 | |||
Delhi | 2 | |||
Gujarat | 2 | |||
Tamil Nadu | 2 | |||
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | |||
Chhattisgarh | 1 | |||
Puducherry | 1 | |||
Rajasthan | 1 | |||
Tripura | 1 | |||
Uttarakhand | 1 | |||
Naam Tamilar Katchi | Tamil Nadu | 39 | 40 | |
Puduchery | 1 | |||
Gondwana Ganatantra Party | Madhya Pradesh | |||
Chhattisgarh | 9 | |||
Maharashtra | ||||
Azad Samaj Party | Uttar Pradesh | |||
Madhya Pradesh | ||||
Rajsthan | 5 | |||
Chhattisgarh | 3 | |||
Delhi | 1 | |||
Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi | Maharashtra | |||
Indian Secular Front | West Bengal | 8 | ||
Republican Party of India (Athawale) | Maharashtra | |||
Andhra Pradesh | 8 | |||
Assam | 4 | |||
Karnataka | 4 | |||
Chhattisgarh | 2 | |||
Manipur | 1 | |||
Rajasthan | 1 | |||
Tripura | 1 | |||
Gana Suraksha Party | West Bengal | |||
Assam | 4 | |||
Arunachal Pradesh | 1 | |||
Social Democratic Party of India | Andhra Pradesh | 2 | ||
Gujarat | 2 | |||
Uttarakhand Kranti Dal | Uttarakhand | 3 | ||
Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference | Jammu and Kashmir | 2 | ||
Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party | Jammu and Kashmir | 2 |
Incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi was announced as the prime ministerial candidate of the NDA. [62] [63] The INDIA bloc announced that the alliance will decide the Prime Minister after the polls. [64] [65]
The BJP announced its first list of 195 candidates on 2 March 2024 [66] [67] and the second list of 72 candidates was published in 13 March, [68] while the third list of nine candidates was announced on 21 March. [69] The fourth list of 15 candidates was released on 22 March, [70] followed by the declaration of fifth list of 111 candidates on 24 March. Ultimately, the twentieth list of one candidate was released on 10 May. [71]
For the first time since 1996, the BJP did not field candidates in the Kashmir division, with analysts and opposition politicians attributing it to popular backlash over the BJP government's revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's autonomy enshrined under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution in 2019. [72]
The Congress released its first list of 39 candidates on 8 March 2024. [73] [74] Eventually, the twenty-eighth list of one candidate was announced on 7 May. [75]
The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) announced its list of 42 candidates for the West Bengal parliamentary seats on 10 March. [76] In the Left Front, the CPI(M) announced its list first list of 44 candidates contesting from 13 different states on 28 March. [77]
The issue of unemployment was raised as a major problem for the Indian economy, especially affecting the youth. [78] According to a 2022 World Bank report, India's youth unemployment rate stood at 23.2%, whereas the national unemployment hovered around 7%. [79] [80] A 2023 report found that 42.3% of graduates under 25 years of age, were unemployed and indicated a lack of growth in jobs needed to accommodate the increasing workforce. [81] Unemployment was raised as a major issue in the election campaigns, with the opposition criticising the BJP government's handling of the Indian economy with rising inflation, inequality and unemployment. [81]
The BJP engaged in massive propaganda for the Inauguration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya to connect with families across the nation. The consecration of the Ram Mandir resulted in Hindu nationalistic sentiment dominating the political sphere in India. [82] The BJP fulfilled its long-standing political pledge of the reconstruction of the Ram Mandir, which was part of its manifesto for the earlier elections. [83] The Hindu nationalist ideology of the BJP has garnered substantial support from the Hindu community. [84] [85] At the same time, Bollywood productions were released with themes supporting the Modi government's policies and Hindu nationalist ideologies. [86] In response to such concerns, BJP spokesperson Mmhonlumo Kikon acknowledged the existence of a "level of threat perception", but said that the party was trying to change that. [87]
The opposition led by the Congress and its leaders declined an invitation to the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony, saying that the event was politicised into an event by the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. [88] Then Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the invitation was an opportunity for the Congress to 'reduce its sin', and that history would continue to judge it as 'anti-Hindu' if it does not attend the ceremony. [89] Hindu religious heads Shankaracharyas also declined attending the event, stating that the ceremony was politicised as a campaign event at the half-built temple. [90] [91]
During a campaign rally in Rajasthan on 21 April, Narendra Modi accused the Congress party of giving priority to Muslims for accessing the national wealth and planning to distribute resources among "those who have more children" and "infiltrators" once it was in power, which was construed by opposition as an indirect reference to stereotypes of Muslims reproducing in greater numbers and as a part of conspiracy theories pushed by the BJP that Muslims were planning to outnumber Hindus. [92] Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge called Modi's remarks a panic-filled hate speech and a ploy to divert attention from the opposition outperforming the BJP during the first phase of the election, while officials in Rajasthan received complaints from the Azad Adhikar Sena demanding Modi's arrest and for his campaign to be suspended. [93] A complaint letter by Samvidhan Bacchao Nagrik Abhiyan, a non profit organization to the Election Commission, signed by over 17,400 people, alleged that Modi had violated the Model Code of Conduct and the Representation of the People Act, 1951 by making a speech aiming at appealing to communal feelings, instigating and aggravating hatred in the Hindus against Muslims. [94] [95]
On 15 February 2024, the Supreme Court of India ruled that the Electoral Bond system of campaign financing that was introduced by the government in 2017 was unconstitutional. The system which had allowed individuals and companies to donate money to political parties anonymously and without limits as the court observed that the process allowed donors to assert influence over policy making. [96] On 18 March, the court ordered State Bank of India (SBI) to provide all records regarding the electoral bonds to the Election Commission by 21 March in order to match electoral donors with their recipients and rejected a plea by the Confederation of Indian Industry, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India from divulging the identities of donors. [97]
The data revealed that the top five political parties in terms of electoral bonds received are the BJP, which received ₹6,060.5 crore (US$730 million), the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which received ₹1,609.5 crore (US$190 million), the Congress with ₹1,421.8 crore (US$170 million), the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), which received ₹1,214.7 crore (US$150 million), and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which received ₹775.5 crore (US$93 million). [98] [99] [100] The biggest buyer of electoral bonds was found to be Santiago Martin, head of Future Gaming and Hotel Services, a Tamil Nadu-based lottery firm, who had bought bonds worth ₹1,368 crore (US$160 million) and made donations to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), TMC and the BJP. The biggest single donor to any political party was Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL), a construction firm based in Hyderabad that bought electoral bonds worth over ₹1,200 crore (US$140 million) between 2019 and 2024 and made donations to the BRS, the BJP, and the Congress. [101]
Some politicians from the opposition have termed the bonds a scam and an extortion racket. [102] [103] [104] In response to allegations regarding the electoral bonds, BJP denied that the party had done any wrongdoing and said that its electoral bonds were gained on merit. [101] Political observers and news agencies opined that the businessmen used the scheme to covertly steer out of trouble and the central BJP government might have used government agencies to extort them. From the data released, it was found that certain companies gave donations around the time they had received major central and certain state government contracts and close to half of the top 30 corporate donors were facing investigations by government agencies around the time they purchased electoral bonds. [105] [106] [107]
The BJP-led government was accused by the opposition of using the Enforcement Directorate to target opposition politicians critical of it, with majority of the cases against politicians registered against opposition leaders. [108] [109] [110] Since 2014, 25 opposition leaders facing corruption charges have joined the BJP, with 23 of them having their inquiries closed or frozen after joining the ruling party. [111]
After the arrest of then Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the Delhi liquor scam on 22 March, in the lead to the elections, the opposition led by Kejriwal's AAP contested that the Enforcement Directorate is investigating chief ministers not allied with the BJP on various charges, while investigations have been closed on former opposition politicians who have since joined the BJP. Hartosh Singh Bal, a journalist for the current affairs magazine The Caravan told Agence France-Presse that the move by government agencies indicated their behavior as "handmaidens of the ruling party to cow down the political opposition". [112] Delhi's finance minister Atishi Singh accused the BJP of orchestrating a political conspiracy against Kejriwal. [113] His arrest also led to clashes between party leaders, supporters and the police on 22 March. [114] Rahul Gandhi, reacting to the arrest, said that a "scared dictator" wants to create a "dead democracy", which was construed as an indirect reference to Modi and his government. [115]
A few days after arrest Kejriwal, the opposition alliance held a protest rally against the same in Ramlila Maidan, Delhi on 31 March, where opposition leaders alleged the corruption case on him and his subsequent arrest to be a fabrication with political motives and a witch hunt. [116] [117] [118] [119] At the rally, named "Loktantra Bachao" (Save Democracy), the opposition tried to frame the election as being "democracy vs dictatorship". [120] Rahul Gandhi warned that the whole of India will be on fire if the BJP wins the 2024 parliamentary elections and changes the Constitution, during the event. [121] [122] [123]
After he was released on bail and allowed to vote, Kejriwal urged citizens to "vote against the dictatorship" and was forced to retur to prison after the elections as part of his bail conditions. [124] [125]
The national executive meeting of the BJP held on 16 and 17 January 2023 saw the party reaffirm its faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and extend the tenure of BJP national president J. P. Nadda. [126] Charting out the BJP's strategy for the upcoming polls, Modi said in a speech to party workers that they should reach out to every section of society, including the marginalised and minority communities, without electoral considerations. [127]
Following the 2023 Legislative Assembly elections, Modi debuted the slogan "Modi Ki Guarantee" for the 2024 polls. [128] The slogan Abki Baar 400 Paar (This Time Surpassing 400), was coined by the BJP referring to the party's goal of winning more than 400 out of 543 seats in the elections. [129] [130] [131] Used along with the slogan Theesri bar Modi Sarkar' (Modi Government for the third time), similar to ones used by the BJP in previous elections, including the 2019 general election, election analysts said that the path for the BJP to achieve the goal of winning 400 seats would be to win more seats in the south of India than in previous elections. [132] [133]
The party held political rallies in multiple states with national leadership including Modi, BJP President J. P. Nadda and then Home minister Amit Shah campaigning actively. [134] [135] [136] During a campaign rally, then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath described the election as a contest between "devotees of Ram" and "anti-Ram forces" and urged voters to select the former. Modi also accused the opposition of plotting to raze the Ram Mandir temple once they were in power. [137]
On 14 April 2024, the BJP invited foreign diplomats posted in the country as well as 25 overseas political parties including the Conservative and the Labour parties of the United Kingdom, the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) of Germany and the Awami League of Bangladesh to observe the party's electoral campaign. [138] [139] This initiative is part of the "Know BJP" campaign, aimed at external outreach and familiarisation with the election process. As part of this program, BJP president Nadda met with envoys from 13 countries. [140] [141]
The bloc's first joint rally was held in Patna, Bihar on 3 March 2024. The rally saw, among others, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party leader Rahul Gandhi, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, and senior Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D. Raja. Kharge attacked Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal (United), who had switched allgeiance from the opposition to the ruling NDA alliance before the elections for frequently changing alliances and criticised the BJP for not fulfilling its promise of jobs and neglecting the country's poor and the majority. [142]
The alliance jointly held a rally at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on 17 March, a day after the end of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. The rally was attended by Gandhi, SS(UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, NCP(SP) leader Sharad Pawar, Tejashwi Yadav, and DMK leader and then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M. K. Stalin, among others. [143] At the rally, Gandhi said that he was compelled to launch the Bharat Jodo Yatra due to rising inflation and unemployment in the nation. [144]
The Congress campaign was launched from Nagpur at a rally on 28 December 2023. [145] The rally also marked the 138th Congress Foundation Day and was held to energise party cadres for the elections with party workers from all over the state called to join the rally. [146] [147] On 14 January, the party launched its Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, a sequel to the Bharat Jodo Yatra held the previous year. The yatra started in Thoubal, Manipur and ended in Mumbai on 16 March 2024, covering 6,713 km (4,171 mi) across 14 states. [148] [149]
The Congress started a crowdfunding campaign known as Donate for Desh (Donate for the Country) ahead of the elections and claimed to be inspired from Mahatma Gandhi's Tilak Swaraj Fund (1920–21). [150] It formally launched the campaign's digital version on 18 December 2023 with a dedicated website. The physical version of the campaign, which be done via door-to-door collection drives, was launched on 28 December. [151] The campaign received ₹1.45 crore (US$170,000) on its first day, with the top five states in amount of donations being Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Karnataka. [152] By the end of 2023, the campaign received around ₹9 crore (US$1.1 million), with 30% of the funds being collected from Telangana and Maharashtra alone. [153] The campaign had collected about ₹20 crore (US$2.4 million) according to the party when on 28 January, it rebranded its crowdfunding campaign to Donate for Nyay (Donate for Justice), in line with Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and collected a further ₹4 crore (US$480,000) in four days. [154] [155]
On 16 February 2024, the Congress alleged that the Income Tax Department (IT) ordered the freezing of bank accounts belonging to the party containing ₹210 crore (US$25 million) as part of an ongoing legal dispute. [112] The party's treasurer Ajay Maken later added that tax authorities imposed a ₹210 crore (US$25 million) lien on 13 February, sealed its bank accounts and confiscated ₹111 crore (US$13 million). The party's leader Rahul Gandhi complained that the restrictions had rendered the party unable to campaign properly, adding that the party's entire finance has been curtailed and accused Modi and Shah as responsible for the action against the party, which was denied by the BJP. Congress leader Sonia Gandhi also alleged that the tax issues were initiated as a part of planned efforts to cripple the party. [156]
According to the IT Department, it had recovered ₹135 crore (US$16 million) from the Congress for breaking the legislation exempting political parties from paying taxes, rather than freezing the party's bank accounts as the opposition party had claimed. [157] The party received notices from the department again on 29 March asking it to pay ₹1,823.08 crore (US$220 million), which was pending to be paid as taxes. The Congress again accused the BJP led government of engaging in "tax terrorism" and alleged that it is in violation of the income-tax laws, countering that the IT department should raise a demand of ₹4,617.58 crore (US$550 million) from the BJP. [158]
The CPI (M) began their election campaign in Kerala after announcing 15 candidates in the state. [159] The RJD began its campaign with its Jan Vishwas Yatra ("People's Trust Yatra") on 20 February 2024. Tejashwi Yadav launched the yatra from Muzaffarpur in Bihar and the yatra lasted until 1 March 2024 and covered 33 districts. [160] [161] In Siwan on 23 February, Yadav termed the BJP "a dustbin" which takes in other parties that have become "garbage". [162] [163] After an intra-party dispute that led to the splitting of the Shiv Sena based in Maharashtra, the Supreme Court of India barred the Shiv Sena (UBT) faction which joined the INDI alliance from using the party's bow-and-arrow symbol as its electoral symbol in balloting and awarded it instead to the Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena which joined the NDA. This led the UBT faction to adopt a torch as its electoral symbol. [164]
The BJP proposed a 'GYAN' formula consisting of four segments – Garib (poor), Yuva (youth), Annadata (farmers) and Nari (women) in its manifesto. [165] The Bharatiya Janata Party started a campaign to gather public recommendations and suggestions for the advancement of the State and the country, which will be incorporated into the party's manifesto titled 'Modi ki guarantee' for the 2024 general elections. [166] [167] [168] [169] [170] [171] [172]
The Congress released their group-specific manifesto promises for the general election in the month of March. [179] The manifesto focuses on five major segments of the population and promises them:
The complete manifesto titled Nyay Patra ( Hindi: न्याय पत्र, lit. 'Justice Paper') was released on 5 April 2024. [190] [191] Some noticeable points in the manifesto include (apart from above promises released earlier) the:
Polling agency | Date published | Sample size | Margin of error | Lead | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NDA | INDIA | Others | |||||
ABP News- CVoter | April 2024 [192] | 57,566 | ±3–5% | 46.6 | 39.8 | 13.6 | 6.8 |
News 18 | March 2024 [193] | 118,616 | ±4% | 48 | 32 | 20 | 16 |
ABP News- CVoter | March 2024 [194] | 41,762 [195] | ±5% | 46 | 39 | 15 | 7 |
Times Now-ETG | March 2024 [196] | 323,357 [197] | ±3% | 52 | 42 | 6 | 10 |
Zee News-Matrize | February 2024 [198] | 167,843 | ±2% | 43.6 | 27.7 | 24.9 | 15.9 |
India Today- CVoter | February 2024 [199] | 149,092 [200] | ±3–5% | 45 | 38 | 17 | 8 |
Times Now-ETG | February 2024 [201] | 156,843 [202] | ±2% | 41.8 | 28.6 | 29.6 | 13.2 |
ABP News- CVoter | December 2023 [203] | 200,000 | ±3–5% | 42 | 38 | 20 | 4 |
Times Now- ETG | December 2023 [204] [205] | 147,231 [206] | ±3% | 44 | 39 | 17 | 5 |
India TV-CNX | October 2023 [207] [208] | 54,250 | ±3% | 43.4 | 39.1 | 17.5 | 4.3 |
Times Now- ETG | October 2023 [209] | 135,100 [210] | ±3% | 42.6 | 40.2 | 17.2 | 2.4 |
August 2023 [211] [212] | 110,662 [213] | ±3% | 42.6 | 40.2 | 17.2 | 2.4 | |
India Today- CVoter | August 2023 [214] | 160,438 | ±3–5% | 43 | 41 | 16 | 2 |
Formation of the big-tent INDIA opposition bloc | |||||||
India Today- CVoter | January 2023 [215] | 140,917 | ±3–5% | 43 | 30 | 27 | 13 |
2019 election results | 45.3% | 27.5% | 27.2% | NDA |
Polling agency | Date published | Sample size | Margin of error | Lead | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NDA | INDIA | Others | |||||
2024 election results | 293 | 234 | 16 | NDA | |||
TV9 Bharatvarsh - Polstrat | April 2024 [216] | 2,500,000 | 3% | 362 | 149 | 32 | NDA |
ABP News- CVoter | April 2024 [192] | 57,566 | ±3–5% | 373 | 155 | 15 | NDA |
Times Now-ETG | April 2024 [217] | 271,292 [218] | ±3% | 384 | 118 | 41 | NDA |
News18 | March 2024 [219] | 118,616 [220] | ±4% | 411 | 105 | 27 | NDA |
ABP News- CVoter | March 2024 [221] | 41,762 | ±5% | 366 | 156 | 21 | NDA |
India TV-CNX | March 2024 [222] | 162,900 [223] | ±3% | 378 | 98 | 67 | NDA |
Times Now-ETG | March 2024 [224] | 323,357 | ±3% | 358–398 | 110–130 | 40–50 | NDA |
Zee News-Matrize | February 2024 [198] | 167,843 | ±2% | 377 | 93 | 73 | NDA |
India Today- CVoter | February 2024 [225] | 149,092 [226] | ±3–5% | 335 | 166 | 42 | NDA |
Times Now-ETG | February 2024 [227] | 156,843 | ±2% | 366 | 104 | 73 | NDA |
ABP- CVoter | December 2023 [203] | 200,000 | ±3–5% | 295–335 | 165–205 | 35–65 | NDA |
Times Now- ETG | December 2023 [204] [205] | 147,231 | ±3% | 319–339 | 148–168 | 52–61 | NDA |
India TV-CNX | October 2023 [207] [208] | 54,250 | ±3% | 315 | 172 | 56 | NDA |
Times Now- ETG | October 2023 [209] | 135,100 | ±3% | 297–317 | 165–185 | 57–65 | NDA |
August 2023 [228] [212] | 110,662 | ±3% | 296–326 | 160–190 | 56–64 | NDA | |
India Today- CVoter | August 2023 [214] | 160,438 | ±3–5% | 306 | 193 | 54 | NDA |
Formation of the big-tent INDIA opposition bloc | |||||||
India Today- CVoter | January 2023 [229] | 140,917 | ±3–5% | 298 | 153 | 92 | NDA |
2019 election results | 353 | 91 | 99 | NDA |
The Election Commission of India banned the publication of all exit polls starting 48 hours before Phase 1 of the election until the end of Phase 7. This was intended to prevent exit polls from earlier phases affecting voter decisions in later phases. The ban ended after the close of Phase 7 voting at 18:30 IST on 1 June 2024. [230]
Polling agency | Lead | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
NDA | INDIA | Others | ||
2019 election results | 353 | 91 | 99 | 81 |
ABP News- CVoter [231] | 368±15 | 167±15 | 8±4 | 96 |
Agni News Services [232] | 242 | 264 | 37 | HUNG |
Dainik Bhaskar [232] | 316±34 | 173±28 | 41±8 | 44 |
DB Live [233] | 221±20 | 275±15 | 38±10 | 3 |
India Today- Axis My India [234] | 381±20 | 148±18 | 14±6 | 109 |
India News-Dynamics [232] | 371 | 125 | 47 | 99 |
India TV-CNX [235] | 386±15 | 134±15 | 33±5 | 96 |
NDTV-Jan Ki Baat [236] | 377±15 | 151±10 | 15±5 | 105 |
News18- CNBC [237] | 362±8 | 132±8 | 47±5 | 90 |
News 24- Today's Chanakya [232] | 400±15 | 107-11 | 36±9 | 128 |
News Nation [232] | 360±18 | 161±8 | 22±1 | 88 |
Republic TV-Matrize [232] | 360±8 | 126±8 | 30 | 88 |
Republic TV-PMarq [232] | 359 | 154 | 30 | 87 |
Times Now- ETG [232] | 358 | 152 | 33 | 86 |
TV9 Bharatvarsh-Polstrat [238] | 346 | 162 | 35 | 74 |
2024 election results | 293 | 234 | 16 | 21 |
During Phase 1 of the election, violence broke out outside a polling station in Thamanpokpi in Manipur. [259] [260] Clashes between BJP and TMC party workers were reported in the Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri constituencies of West Bengal, [261] [262] and one Central Reserve Police Force (CPRF) personnel was found dead in a polling booth in Cooch Behar. [263] [264] In Chhattisgarh, one CRPF personnel was killed during polling. [265] [266] Clashes between VCK and BJP cadres were reported in Chidambaram constituency in Tamil Nadu, where two VCK cadres and one BJP cadre were injured. [267] [268]
During Phase 2 of voting, eight voters in Kerala died of heat stroke while voting. [269] [270] In Manipur, two CPRF personnel were killed and two more were seriously injured in a militant attack in Bishnupur district, [271] [272] a man was killed in a gunfight between two unidentified groups in the Kangpokpi and Imphal East districts, [273] [274] and incidents of EVM vandalism, voter intimidation and coercion were reported in two polling stations in Ukhrul. [275] [276]
A complaint letter by the Samvidhan Bacchao Nagrik Abhiyan (Save the Constitution Citizens' Campaign) organisation to the Election Commission of India, signed by over 17,400 people, alleged that Modi had violated the Model Code of Conduct and the Representation of the People Act, 1951 by making a speech "aiming at not only appealing to 'communal feelings' but also instigating and aggravating hatred in the Hindus against Muslims". [277] [278]
During Phase 6 of voting, Mehbooba Mufti, who is contesting the Anantnag–Rajouri constituency in Jammu and Kashmir for the Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party, said several of her party workers were detained by police to prevent them from voting. In West Bengal, TMC workers blocked the car of BJP candidate Agnimitra Paul while she was on her way to vote in the Medinipur constituency. [279] Prashant Jagdev, the BJP candidate for the 2024 Odisha Legislative Assembly election in Begunia, was arrested on suspicion of vandalising an EVM. [280]
During Phase 7 of voting, a mob looted election material from a polling booth and dumped it into a pond in Kultali, Jaynagar in West Bengal. Clashes erupted between BJP and TMC supporters in Sandeshkhali. [281] In Uttar Pradesh, at least 33 election workers, including security and sanitation staff, died of heat stroke, along with a voter waiting in line in Ballia. [282] State election officials subsequently stated that compensation of 1.5 million rupees ($18,000) would be given to the families of the deceased workers. [283] At least ten election related deaths were also reported in Bihar that day. [284] In response to the ongoing heatwave, ECI chief Rajiv Kumar said they had learned a lesson and "should have completed the election at least one month before". [285]
Instances of EVM malfunctioning, removal of candidates and names of voters missing from electoral rolls were reported throughout the elections. [286] [287] [288] On 18 April, the Supreme Court asked the Election Commission to look into reported EVM malfunctioning in Kerala. [289] 150 EVMs were replaced in Assam after reported malfunctioning. [290] In Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, about 33 nominations challenging Narendra Modi were rejected, of which eight applicants claimed that their nominations were rejected incorrectly. [291]
State/UT | Total | Voter turnout by phase | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Phase 1
19 April |
Phase 2
26 April |
Phase 3
7 May |
Phase 4
13 May |
Phase 5
20 May |
Phase 6
25 May |
Phase 7
1 June | ||||||||||
Seats | Turnout (%) | Seats | Turnout (%) | Seats | Turnout (%) | Seats | Turnout (%) | Seats | Turnout (%) | Seats | Turnout (%) | Seats | Turnout (%) | Seats | Turnout (%) | |
Andhra Pradesh | 25 | 81.86 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 25 | 81.86 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Arunachal Pradesh | 2 | 77.68 | 2 | 77.68 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Assam | 14 | 81.62 | 5 | 78.25 | 5 | 81.17 | 4 | 85.45 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Bihar | 40 | 56.19 | 4 | 49.26 | 5 | 59.45 | 5 | 59.14 | 5 | 58.21 | 5 | 56.76 | 8 | 57.18 | 8 | 53.29 |
Chhattisgarh | 11 | 72.17 | 1 | 68.29 | 3 | 76.24 | 7 | 71.98 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Goa | 2 | 76.06 | – | – | – | – | 2 | 76.06 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Gujarat | 26 | 60.13 | – | – | – | – | 25 | 60.13 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Haryana | 10 | 64.80 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10 | 64.80 | – | – |
Himachal Pradesh | 4 | 70.90 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | 70.90 |
Jharkhand | 14 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | 66.01 | 3 | 63.21 | 4 | 65.39 | 3 | 70.88 | |
Karnataka | 28 | 70.64 | – | – | 14 | 69.56 | 14 | 71.84 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Kerala | 20 | 71.27 | – | – | 20 | 71.27 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Madhya Pradesh | 29 | 66.87 | 6 | 67.75 | 6 | 58.59 | 9 | 66.74 | 8 | 72.05 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Maharashtra | 48 | 61.29 | 5 | 63.71 | 8 | 62.71 | 11 | 63.55 | 11 | 62.21 | 13 | 56.89 | – | – | – | – |
Manipur | 2 | 80.47 | 1+1⁄2 | 76.10 | 1⁄2 | 84.85 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Meghalaya | 2 | 76.60 | 2 | 76.60 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Mizoram | 1 | 56.87 | 1 | 56.87 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Nagaland | 1 | 57.72 | 1 | 57.72 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Odisha | 21 | 74.51 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | 75.68 | 5 | 73.50 | 6 | 74.45 | 6 | 74.41 |
Punjab | 13 | 62.80 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 13 | 62.80 |
Rajasthan | 25 | 61.34 | 12 | 57.65 | 13 | 65.03 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Sikkim | 1 | 79.88 | 1 | 79.88 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Tamil Nadu | 39 | 69.72 | 39 | 69.72 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Telangana | 17 | 65.67 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 17 | 65.67 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Tripura | 2 | 80.92 | 1 | 81.48 | 1 | 80.36 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Uttar Pradesh | 80 | 56.92 | 8 | 61.11 | 8 | 55.19 | 10 | 57.55 | 13 | 58.22 | 14 | 58.02 | 14 | 54.04 | 13 | 55.85 |
Uttarakhand | 5 | 57.22 | 5 | 57.22 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
West Bengal | 42 | 79.29 | 3 | 81.91 | 3 | 76.58 | 4 | 77.53 | 8 | 80.22 | 7 | 78.45 | 8 | 82.71 | 9 | 76.80 |
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | 64.10 | 1 | 64.10 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Chandigarh | 1 | 67.98 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 67.98 |
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | 2 | 71.31 | – | – | – | – | 2 | 71.31 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Delhi | 7 | 58.69 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 7 | 58.69 | – | – |
Jammu and Kashmir | 5 | 58.58 | 1 | 68.27 | 1 | 72.22 | – | – | 1 | 38.49 | 1 | 59.10 | 1 | 55.40 | – | – |
Ladakh | 1 | 71.82 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 71.82 | – | – | – | – |
Lakshadweep | 1 | 84.16 | 1 | 84.16 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Puducherry | 1 | 78.90 | 1 | 78.90 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Total | 543 | 66.33 | 101+1⁄2 | 66.14 | 87+1⁄2 | 66.71 | 93 | 65.68 | 96 | 69.16 | 49 | 62.20 | 58 | 63.37 | 57 | 63.88 |
Following the first round, the BJP won its first seat after Mukesh Dalal, its candidate for Surat constituency in Gujarat, was elected unopposed following rejection and withdrawal of other candidates. [296] [297] No voting was held in the constituency, as the ECI had certified the results two weeks prior due to the absence of rival candidates. [298]
The overall election result was described in several media sources as a "shock" to Narendra Modi, [299] [300] with the BJP falling short of its expectations of winning 400 seats. [301] Though pre-poll predictions were for an overwhelming majority for the BJP, the INDIA bloc performed much better than exit polls had predicted it to, [302] with upset victories in major states such as Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and West Bengal. [303] The BJP had to rely on the 28 cumulative seats won by the Andhra Pradesh-based Telugu Desam Party led by Chandrababu Naidu and the Bihar-based Janata Dal (United) led by Nitish Kumar in order for the NDA to retain its majority in the Lok Sabha. [304] [305] [306]
Region | Seats | NDA | INDIA | Others |
---|---|---|---|---|
North India | 151 | 83 | 72 | 6 |
South India | 131 | 49 | 77 | 5 |
East India | 118 | 72 | 45 | 1 |
West India | 78 | 45 | 31 | 2 |
Central India | 40 | 39 | 1 | 0 |
Northeast India | 25 | 16 | 7 | 2 |
Total | 543 | 293 | 234 | 16 |
State/Union Territory | Seats | NDA | INDIA | Others |
---|---|---|---|---|
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Andhra Pradesh | 25 | 21 | 0 | 4 |
Arunachal Pradesh | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Assam | 14 | 11 | 3 | 0 |
Bihar | 40 | 30 | 9 | 1 |
Chandigarh | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Chhattisgarh | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Delhi | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
Goa | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Gujarat | 26 | 25 | 1 | 0 |
Haryana | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
Himachal Pradesh | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Jammu and Kashmir | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Jharkhand | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 |
Karnataka | 28 | 19 | 9 | 0 |
Kerala | 20 | 1 | 19 | 0 |
Ladakh | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Lakshadweep | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Madhya Pradesh | 29 | 29 | 0 | 0 |
Maharashtra | 48 | 17 | 30 | 1 |
Manipur | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Meghalaya | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Mizoram | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Nagaland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Odisha | 21 | 20 | 1 | 0 |
Puducherry | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Punjab | 13 | 0 | 10 | 3 |
Rajasthan | 25 | 14 | 11 | 0 |
Sikkim | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Tamil Nadu | 39 | 0 | 39 | 0 |
Telangana | 17 | 8 | 8 | 1 |
Tripura | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Uttar Pradesh | 80 | 36 | 43 | 1 |
Uttarakhand | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
West Bengal | 42 | 12 | 30 | 0 |
Total | 543 | 293 | 234 | 16 |
Twelve Union ministers from the Second Modi ministry lost the election, which included two cabinet ministers and 10 ministers of state. [308]
Narendra Modi called the NDA's lead "a historical feat in India's history", while Congress party president Mallikarjun Kharge said the election was a "moral and political loss" for Modi and a "win for democracy" and the public. [309] In a speech to his supporters on 4 June, Modi said that the NDA would form a third consecutive government. [310] Following a meeting with other members of the NDA on 5 June, Modi was formally endorsed to become prime minister again. [311] On 7 June, he was selected as leader of the NDA [312] and was inaugurated as prime minister on 9 June. [313] On 10 June, Modi unveiled his 71-member cabinet, of which the BJP took 61 portfolios, including foreign affairs, home affairs, finance and defence, while the Telugu Desam Party and Janata Dal (United) took two ministries each, with the rest going to other members of the NDA. [314]
Sangli independent MP Vishal Patil, who is a primary member of the Congress party, extended support to it after the election, in effect increasing the opposition alliance tally to 235. [315] [316] [317] On 8 June, the leadership of the Congress Party unanimously nominated Rahul Gandhi to become Leader of the Opposition, a position which had been vacant since 2014. [318]
Leaders and officials of Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, China, Comoros, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Eswatini, European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guyana, Honduras, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, the Maldives, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Moldova, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor Leste, Uganda, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, Vietnam, Yemen and Zambia congratulated Modi on the victory. [319] [320] [321] [322] [323] [324] [325] [326]
The benchmark BSE Sensex and Nifty50 indices hit intraday record highs and the Indian rupee strengthened after the exit polls were released. However, on the day results were announced, Indian stock markets crashed. [327] Rahul Gandhi subsequently called for an investigation, saying that Modi, Amit Shah and finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had misled investors into buying stocks before the release of the election results on 4 June in anticipation of a landslide victory by the BJP. [328]
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All 543 seats in the Lok Sabha 272 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Opinion polls | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Registered | 968,821,926 [1]( 6.24%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Turnout | 65.79% ( 1.61 pp) [2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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General elections were held in India from 19 April to 1 June 2024 in seven phases, to elect all 543 members of the Lok Sabha. [a] More than 968 million out of a population of 1.4 billion people were eligible to vote, equivalent to 70 percent of the total population. [3] [4] [5] 642 million voters participated in the election and 312 million of them were women, making it the highest ever participation by women voters. [6] [7] This was the largest-ever election, surpassing the previous election, and lasted 44 days, second only to the 1951–52 Indian general election. The legislative assembly elections in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, and Sikkim were held simultaneously with the general election, along with the by-elections for 25 constituencies in 12 legislative assemblies.
Incumbent prime minister Narendra Modi, who completed a second term, ran for a third consecutive term after his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had enjoyed an absolute majority (minimum of 272 seats) in the 2019 and 2014 elections. The primary opposition was the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), a coalition formed by the Indian National Congress (INC) and other regional parties.
Opinion surveys of mainstream media outlets projected a decisive victory for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Votes were counted and the result was declared on 4 June to form the 18th Lok Sabha. [8] The NDA led by BJP achieved a majority, winning 293 out of the 543 seats. [9] However, the BJP won 240 seats, down from the 303 seats it had secured in 2019, and lost its singular majority in the Lok Sabha. [10] The INDIA coalition outperformed expectations, securing 234 seats, 99 of which were won by INC, garnering the party the official opposition status for the first time in 10 years. [11] [12] [13] Seven independents and ten candidates from non-aligned parties also won the elections. [14] [15] [16]
On 7 June 2024, Narendra Modi submitted the letter of support of 293 MPs to Droupadi Murmu, the President of India and the President invited him to form the government. [17] This marked Modi's third term as the Prime Minister of India and his first time heading a coalition government, [18] with the Telugu Desam Party and Janata Dal (United) as major allies. [19] [20] [21]
India has a multi-party system with two major parties, namely the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian National Congress, that dominate politics at the national level. The BJP has governed the country with Narendra Modi at the helm since 2014. The tenure of the 17th Lok Sabha is scheduled to end on 16 June 2024. [22] The previous general election was held in April–May 2019, after which the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP, formed the union government, with Modi continuing as Prime Minister. [23] The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, comprising of 26 opposition parties, was formed in 2023 to contest against the NDA in the elections. [24]
Article 83 of the Constitution of India requires elections to the Lok Sabha to be held once every five years. [25] The 543 MPs are elected from single-member constituencies using first-past-the-post voting. [26] The 104th amendment to the constitution abolished the two seats that were reserved for the Anglo-Indian community. [27]
Indian citizens who are 18 years or older, ordinary residents of the polling area of the constituency and registered to vote (name included in the electoral rolls), possess a valid voter identification card issued by the Election Commission of India or equivalent are eligible to vote. [28] People convicted of electoral or other offenses are barred from voting. [29] Indians holding foreign citizenship are not eligible to vote as India. There is no postal or online absentee voting in India; members of the Indian diaspora are required to travel back to their home constituencies in order to cast a ballot. [30]
For the 2024 election, 968 million people were eligible to vote, an increase of about 150 million people from the 2019 election. [31] In Arunachal Pradesh, a polling station will be set up for the only registered voter in the village of Malogam, as electoral laws stipulate that voting booths need to be within two kilometres (1.2 mi) from any settlement. [32] [33] A polling station was also set up inside the Gir Forest in Gujarat to cater for a single voter, a priest at a Hindu temple. [34] Polling stations were also set up inside a wildlife sanctuary in Kerala, in a shipping container in Gujarat, and 320 relief camps hosting nearly 59,000 people displaced during violence in Manipur. [35] [36]
In March 2024, the Supreme Court of India rejected a petition by the Congress party to end the usage of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and revert to paper ballots and manual counting, which was the system used in elections until the late 1990s, with the party citing risks of electoral fraud. [37] Nearly 5.5 million EVMs were utilized in more than one million polling stations with 15 million election workers and security personnel tasked with managing the conduct of the election. [38]
For the first time, the Election Commission of India allowed voters with disabilities and those over the age of 85 to cast ballots from their homes. [39] In Telangana, voting in some areas was extended by an hour more to allow voters to come at a more convenient time. [40]
Key processes during a Lok Sabha election involved monitoring campaign expenditure, preventing the circulation of illicit goods, and ensuring adherence to the Model Code of Conduct. In the final 48 hours before voting, campaigns are ceased, and measures are implemented to maintain order and prevent disruptions. On polling day, strict rules are enforced to prevent undue influence and ensure a secure and free election process. After the elections, EVMs are sealed and stored under tight security with Booth Level Officers assisting throughout the process. [41]
The election schedule for the 18th Lok Sabha was announced by the Election Commission of India on 16 March 2024 and with it the Model Code of Conduct came into effect. [42] [43] [44] The tenure of the 17th Lok Sabha was scheduled to end on 16 June 2024. [45]
Poll event | Phase | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |
Notification date | 20 March | 28 March | 12 April | 18 April | 26 April | 29 April | 7 May |
Last date for filing nomination | 27 March | 4 April | 19 April | 25 April | 3 May | 6 May | 14 May |
Scrutiny of nomination | 28 March | 5 April | 20 April | 26 April | 4 May | 7 May | 15 May |
Last date for withdrawal of nomination | 30 March | 8 April | 22 April | 29 April | 6 May | 9 May | 17 May |
Date of poll | 19 April | 26 April | 7 May | 13 May | 20 May | 25 May | 1 June |
Date of counting of votes | 4 June 2024 | ||||||
No. of constituencies | 101+1⁄2 [b] | 87+1⁄2 [b] | 94 | 96 | 49 | 58 | 57 |
State/Union territory | Total constituencies | Election dates and number of constituencies | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Phase 1 | Phase 2 | Phase 3 | Phase 4 | Phase 5 | Phase 6 | Phase 7 | ||
19 April | 26 April | 7 May | 13 May | 20 May | 25 May | 1 June | ||
Andhra Pradesh | 25 | 25 | ||||||
Arunachal Pradesh | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Assam | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | ||||
Bihar | 40 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 |
Chhattisgarh | 11 | 1 | 3 | 7 | ||||
Goa | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Gujarat | 26 | 26 | ||||||
Haryana | 10 | 10 | ||||||
Himachal Pradesh | 4 | 4 | ||||||
Jharkhand | 14 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | |||
Karnataka | 28 | 14 | 14 | |||||
Kerala | 20 | 20 | ||||||
Madhya Pradesh | 29 | 6 | 6 [c] | 9 [c] | 8 | |||
Maharashtra | 48 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 13 | ||
Manipur | 2 | 1+1⁄2 [b] | 1⁄2 [b] | |||||
Meghalaya | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Mizoram | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Nagaland | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Odisha | 21 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | |||
Punjab | 13 | 13 | ||||||
Rajasthan | 25 | 12 | 13 | |||||
Sikkim | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Tamil Nadu | 39 | 39 | ||||||
Telangana | 17 | 17 | ||||||
Tripura | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||||
Uttar Pradesh | 80 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 |
Uttarakhand | 5 | 5 | ||||||
West Bengal | 42 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Chandigarh | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Delhi | 7 | 7 | ||||||
Jammu and Kashmir | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 [d] | ||
Ladakh | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Lakshadweep | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Puducherry | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Total constituencies | 543 | 101+1⁄2 | 87+1⁄2 | 94 | 96 | 49 | 58 | 57 |
Total constituencies by end of phase | – | 101+1⁄2 | 189 | 284 | 379 | 428 | 486 | 543 |
Percentage complete by end of phase | – | 18.7 | 34.8 | 52.3 | 69.8 | 78.8 | 89.5 | 100 |
The politics of India became increasingly bipolar in the run-up to the 2024 Indian general elections with two major alliances emerging; the incumbent National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). Six parties recognized as national parties contested the 2024 Indian general elections: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Indian National Congress (INC), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), National People's Party (NPP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) with all except the BSP being a part of one of the two alliances. [49] Apart from the national parties, regional parties (who are allotted fixed symbols) and other unrecognized parties and independents contested the election. [50]
The NDA is a big tent, mostly centre-right to right-wing political alliance led by the BJP.
INDIA is a big tent, mostly centre-left to left-wing bloc of opposition parties, which came together to contest against the NDA. [53] [54]
Party | States/UTs | Seats contested | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Indian National Congress | Karnataka | 28 | 285 | |
Madhya Pradesh | 27 | |||
Andhra Pradesh | 23 | |||
Gujarat | 23 | |||
Rajasthan | 22 | |||
Odisha | 20 | |||
Maharashtra | 17 | |||
Telangana | 17 | |||
Uttar Pradesh | 17 | |||
Kerala | 16 | |||
Assam | 13 | |||
Chhattisgarh | 11 | |||
Bihar | 9 | |||
Haryana | 9 | |||
Tamil Nadu | 9 | |||
Jharkhand | 7 | |||
Uttarakhand | 5 | |||
Himachal Pradesh | 4 | |||
Delhi | 3 | |||
Arunachal Pradesh | 2 | |||
Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman Diu | 2 | |||
Goa | 2 | |||
Jammu and Kashmir | 2 | |||
Manipur | 2 | |||
Meghalaya | 2 | |||
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | |||
Chandigarh | 1 | |||
Ladakh | 1 | |||
Lakshadweep | 1 | |||
Mizoram | 1 | |||
Nagaland | 1 | |||
Puducherry | 1 | |||
Sikkim | 1 | |||
Tripura | 1 | |||
Samajwadi Party | Uttar Pradesh | 62 | 37 | |
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | Tamil Nadu | 21 | ||
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) | Maharashtra | 21 | 9 | |
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) | Maharashtra | 10 | 8 | |
Rashtriya Janata Dal | Bihar | 23 | 4 | |
Jharkhand | 1 | |||
Aam Aadmi Party | Delhi | 4 | 7 | |
Gujarat | 2 | |||
Haryana | 1 | |||
Communist Party of India (Marxist) | Tamil Nadu | 2 | 6 | |
Andhra Pradesh | 1 | |||
Bihar | 1 | |||
Rajasthan | 1 | |||
Tripura | 1 | |||
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha | Jharkhand | 5 | 6 | |
Odisha | 1 | |||
Communist Party of India | Tamil Nadu | 2 | 4 | |
Andhra Pradesh | 1 | |||
Bihar | 1 | |||
Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation | Bihar | 3 | 4 | |
Jharkhand | 1 | |||
Jammu & Kashmir National Conference | Jammu and Kashmir | 3 | ||
Vikassheel Insaan Party | Bihar | 3 | ||
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi | Tamil Nadu | 2 | ||
All India Forward Bloc | Madhya Pradesh | 1 | ||
All India Trinamool Congress | Uttar Pradesh | 1 | ||
Assam Jatiya Parishad | Assam | 1 | ||
Bharat Adivasi Party | Rajasthan | 1 | ||
Indian Union Muslim League | Tamil Nadu | 1 | ||
Kongunadu Makkal Desia Katchi | Tamil Nadu | 1 | ||
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | Tamil Nadu | 1 | ||
Rashtriya Loktantrik Party | Rajasthan | 1 | ||
Total | 466 |
Parties | States/UTs | Seats contested | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
All India Trinamool Congress | West Bengal | 42 | 47 | |
Assam | 4 | |||
Meghalaya | 1 | |||
Communist Party of India (Marxist) | West Bengal | 23 | 46 | |
Kerala | 15 | |||
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | |||
Assam | 1 | |||
Jharkhand | 1 | |||
Karnataka | 1 | |||
Maharashtra | 1 | |||
Odisha | 1 | |||
Punjab | 1 | |||
Telangana | 1 | |||
Indian National Congress | Kerala | 16 | 43 | |
Punjab | 13 | |||
West Bengal | 13 | |||
Rajasthan | 1 | |||
All India Forward Bloc | Maharashtra | 8 | 31 | |
Andhra Pradesh | 5 | |||
Uttar Pradesh | 5 | |||
Telengana | 3 | |||
West Bengal | 3 | |||
Bihar | 2 | |||
Delhi | 2 | |||
Jammu and Kashmir | 2 | |||
Odisha | 1 | |||
Communist Party of India | Uttar Pradesh | 6 | 26 [59] | |
Jharkhand | 4 | |||
Kerala | 4 | |||
Madhya Pradesh | 3 | |||
Punjab | 3 | |||
West Bengal | 2 | |||
Assam | 1 | |||
Chhattisgarh | 1 | |||
Maharashtra | 1 | |||
Odisha | 1 | |||
Bharat Adivasi Party | Madhya Pradesh | 5 | 21 | |
Rajasthan | 5 | |||
Maharashtra | 4 | |||
Gujarat | 2 | |||
Jharkhand | 2 | |||
Andhra Pradesh | 1 | |||
Chhattisgarh | 1 | |||
Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman Diu | 1 | |||
Aam Aadmi Party | Punjab | 13 | 15 | |
Assam | 2 | |||
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi | Telangana | 7 | 11 | |
Karnataka | 2 | |||
Andhra Pradesh | 1 | |||
Kerala | 1 | |||
Revolutionary Socialist Party | Andhra Pradesh | 3 | 10 | |
West Bengal | 3 | |||
Punjab | 2 | |||
Kerala | 1 | |||
Telengana | 1 | |||
Samajwadi Party | Andhra Pradesh | 7 | 9 | |
Gujarat | 1 | |||
Odisha | 1 | |||
Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation | Andhra Pradesh | 1 | 3 | |
Odisha | 1 | |||
West Bengal | 1 | |||
Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party | Jammu and Kashmir | 3 | ||
Indian Union Muslim League | Kerala | 2 | ||
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) | Haryana | 1 | 2 | |
Lakshadweep | 1 | |||
Kerala Congress | Kerala | 1 | ||
Kerala Congress (M) | Kerala | 1 | ||
Total | 270 |
BSP leader Mayawati announced that her party will contest the election on its own in most states and ally with other non-BJP, non-Congress parties in a few states. [60] On 11 May 2023, Biju Janata Dal leader and then Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik said that his party would go alone for the Lok Sabha polls in Odisha after talks with the BJP fell through. [61]
Party/Alliance | States/UTs | Seats Contested | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Recognised Parties | ||||
Bahujan Samaj Party | Uttar Pradesh | 80 | TBD | |
West Bengal | 5 | |||
Bihar | ||||
Tamil Nadu | 39 | |||
Madhya Pradesh | 6 | |||
Andhra Pradesh | 25 | |||
Gujarat | 24 | |||
Rajasthan | 24 | |||
Karnataka | 21 | |||
Odisha | ||||
Kerala | 18 | |||
Telangana | ||||
Punjab | ||||
Chhattisgarh | 11 | |||
Delhi | 7 | |||
Uttarakhand | 5 | |||
Goa | 2 | |||
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | |||
DNHDD | 1 | |||
Puducherry | 1 | |||
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | Tamil Nadu | 34 | 36 | |
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | |||
Puducherry | 1 | |||
YSR Congress Party | Andhra Pradesh | 25 | ||
Biju Janata Dal | Odisha | 21 | ||
Bharat Rashtra Samithi | Telangana | 17 | ||
Shiromani Akali Dal | Punjab | |||
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen | Telangana | 15 | ||
Indian National Lok Dal | Haryana | |||
Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party | Jammu and Kashmir | |||
Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam | Tamil Nadu | 5 | ||
Bodoland People's Front | Assam | 4 | ||
All India United Democratic Front | Assam | 3 | ||
Revolutionary Goans Party | Goa | 2 | ||
Mizo National Front | Mizoram | 1 | ||
Sikkim Democratic Front | Sikkim | 1 | ||
Voice of the People Party | Meghalaya | 1 | ||
United Democratic Party | Meghalaya | 1 | ||
Zoram People's Movement | Mizoram | 1 | ||
Unrecognised parties | ||||
Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) | West Bengal | |||
Karnataka | 19 | |||
Kerala | 8 | |||
Assam | 6 | |||
Andhra Pradesh | 4 | |||
Delhi | 2 | |||
Gujarat | 2 | |||
Tamil Nadu | 2 | |||
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | |||
Chhattisgarh | 1 | |||
Puducherry | 1 | |||
Rajasthan | 1 | |||
Tripura | 1 | |||
Uttarakhand | 1 | |||
Naam Tamilar Katchi | Tamil Nadu | 39 | 40 | |
Puduchery | 1 | |||
Gondwana Ganatantra Party | Madhya Pradesh | |||
Chhattisgarh | 9 | |||
Maharashtra | ||||
Azad Samaj Party | Uttar Pradesh | |||
Madhya Pradesh | ||||
Rajsthan | 5 | |||
Chhattisgarh | 3 | |||
Delhi | 1 | |||
Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi | Maharashtra | |||
Indian Secular Front | West Bengal | 8 | ||
Republican Party of India (Athawale) | Maharashtra | |||
Andhra Pradesh | 8 | |||
Assam | 4 | |||
Karnataka | 4 | |||
Chhattisgarh | 2 | |||
Manipur | 1 | |||
Rajasthan | 1 | |||
Tripura | 1 | |||
Gana Suraksha Party | West Bengal | |||
Assam | 4 | |||
Arunachal Pradesh | 1 | |||
Social Democratic Party of India | Andhra Pradesh | 2 | ||
Gujarat | 2 | |||
Uttarakhand Kranti Dal | Uttarakhand | 3 | ||
Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference | Jammu and Kashmir | 2 | ||
Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party | Jammu and Kashmir | 2 |
Incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi was announced as the prime ministerial candidate of the NDA. [62] [63] The INDIA bloc announced that the alliance will decide the Prime Minister after the polls. [64] [65]
The BJP announced its first list of 195 candidates on 2 March 2024 [66] [67] and the second list of 72 candidates was published in 13 March, [68] while the third list of nine candidates was announced on 21 March. [69] The fourth list of 15 candidates was released on 22 March, [70] followed by the declaration of fifth list of 111 candidates on 24 March. Ultimately, the twentieth list of one candidate was released on 10 May. [71]
For the first time since 1996, the BJP did not field candidates in the Kashmir division, with analysts and opposition politicians attributing it to popular backlash over the BJP government's revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's autonomy enshrined under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution in 2019. [72]
The Congress released its first list of 39 candidates on 8 March 2024. [73] [74] Eventually, the twenty-eighth list of one candidate was announced on 7 May. [75]
The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) announced its list of 42 candidates for the West Bengal parliamentary seats on 10 March. [76] In the Left Front, the CPI(M) announced its list first list of 44 candidates contesting from 13 different states on 28 March. [77]
The issue of unemployment was raised as a major problem for the Indian economy, especially affecting the youth. [78] According to a 2022 World Bank report, India's youth unemployment rate stood at 23.2%, whereas the national unemployment hovered around 7%. [79] [80] A 2023 report found that 42.3% of graduates under 25 years of age, were unemployed and indicated a lack of growth in jobs needed to accommodate the increasing workforce. [81] Unemployment was raised as a major issue in the election campaigns, with the opposition criticising the BJP government's handling of the Indian economy with rising inflation, inequality and unemployment. [81]
The BJP engaged in massive propaganda for the Inauguration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya to connect with families across the nation. The consecration of the Ram Mandir resulted in Hindu nationalistic sentiment dominating the political sphere in India. [82] The BJP fulfilled its long-standing political pledge of the reconstruction of the Ram Mandir, which was part of its manifesto for the earlier elections. [83] The Hindu nationalist ideology of the BJP has garnered substantial support from the Hindu community. [84] [85] At the same time, Bollywood productions were released with themes supporting the Modi government's policies and Hindu nationalist ideologies. [86] In response to such concerns, BJP spokesperson Mmhonlumo Kikon acknowledged the existence of a "level of threat perception", but said that the party was trying to change that. [87]
The opposition led by the Congress and its leaders declined an invitation to the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony, saying that the event was politicised into an event by the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. [88] Then Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the invitation was an opportunity for the Congress to 'reduce its sin', and that history would continue to judge it as 'anti-Hindu' if it does not attend the ceremony. [89] Hindu religious heads Shankaracharyas also declined attending the event, stating that the ceremony was politicised as a campaign event at the half-built temple. [90] [91]
During a campaign rally in Rajasthan on 21 April, Narendra Modi accused the Congress party of giving priority to Muslims for accessing the national wealth and planning to distribute resources among "those who have more children" and "infiltrators" once it was in power, which was construed by opposition as an indirect reference to stereotypes of Muslims reproducing in greater numbers and as a part of conspiracy theories pushed by the BJP that Muslims were planning to outnumber Hindus. [92] Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge called Modi's remarks a panic-filled hate speech and a ploy to divert attention from the opposition outperforming the BJP during the first phase of the election, while officials in Rajasthan received complaints from the Azad Adhikar Sena demanding Modi's arrest and for his campaign to be suspended. [93] A complaint letter by Samvidhan Bacchao Nagrik Abhiyan, a non profit organization to the Election Commission, signed by over 17,400 people, alleged that Modi had violated the Model Code of Conduct and the Representation of the People Act, 1951 by making a speech aiming at appealing to communal feelings, instigating and aggravating hatred in the Hindus against Muslims. [94] [95]
On 15 February 2024, the Supreme Court of India ruled that the Electoral Bond system of campaign financing that was introduced by the government in 2017 was unconstitutional. The system which had allowed individuals and companies to donate money to political parties anonymously and without limits as the court observed that the process allowed donors to assert influence over policy making. [96] On 18 March, the court ordered State Bank of India (SBI) to provide all records regarding the electoral bonds to the Election Commission by 21 March in order to match electoral donors with their recipients and rejected a plea by the Confederation of Indian Industry, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India from divulging the identities of donors. [97]
The data revealed that the top five political parties in terms of electoral bonds received are the BJP, which received ₹6,060.5 crore (US$730 million), the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which received ₹1,609.5 crore (US$190 million), the Congress with ₹1,421.8 crore (US$170 million), the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), which received ₹1,214.7 crore (US$150 million), and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which received ₹775.5 crore (US$93 million). [98] [99] [100] The biggest buyer of electoral bonds was found to be Santiago Martin, head of Future Gaming and Hotel Services, a Tamil Nadu-based lottery firm, who had bought bonds worth ₹1,368 crore (US$160 million) and made donations to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), TMC and the BJP. The biggest single donor to any political party was Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL), a construction firm based in Hyderabad that bought electoral bonds worth over ₹1,200 crore (US$140 million) between 2019 and 2024 and made donations to the BRS, the BJP, and the Congress. [101]
Some politicians from the opposition have termed the bonds a scam and an extortion racket. [102] [103] [104] In response to allegations regarding the electoral bonds, BJP denied that the party had done any wrongdoing and said that its electoral bonds were gained on merit. [101] Political observers and news agencies opined that the businessmen used the scheme to covertly steer out of trouble and the central BJP government might have used government agencies to extort them. From the data released, it was found that certain companies gave donations around the time they had received major central and certain state government contracts and close to half of the top 30 corporate donors were facing investigations by government agencies around the time they purchased electoral bonds. [105] [106] [107]
The BJP-led government was accused by the opposition of using the Enforcement Directorate to target opposition politicians critical of it, with majority of the cases against politicians registered against opposition leaders. [108] [109] [110] Since 2014, 25 opposition leaders facing corruption charges have joined the BJP, with 23 of them having their inquiries closed or frozen after joining the ruling party. [111]
After the arrest of then Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the Delhi liquor scam on 22 March, in the lead to the elections, the opposition led by Kejriwal's AAP contested that the Enforcement Directorate is investigating chief ministers not allied with the BJP on various charges, while investigations have been closed on former opposition politicians who have since joined the BJP. Hartosh Singh Bal, a journalist for the current affairs magazine The Caravan told Agence France-Presse that the move by government agencies indicated their behavior as "handmaidens of the ruling party to cow down the political opposition". [112] Delhi's finance minister Atishi Singh accused the BJP of orchestrating a political conspiracy against Kejriwal. [113] His arrest also led to clashes between party leaders, supporters and the police on 22 March. [114] Rahul Gandhi, reacting to the arrest, said that a "scared dictator" wants to create a "dead democracy", which was construed as an indirect reference to Modi and his government. [115]
A few days after arrest Kejriwal, the opposition alliance held a protest rally against the same in Ramlila Maidan, Delhi on 31 March, where opposition leaders alleged the corruption case on him and his subsequent arrest to be a fabrication with political motives and a witch hunt. [116] [117] [118] [119] At the rally, named "Loktantra Bachao" (Save Democracy), the opposition tried to frame the election as being "democracy vs dictatorship". [120] Rahul Gandhi warned that the whole of India will be on fire if the BJP wins the 2024 parliamentary elections and changes the Constitution, during the event. [121] [122] [123]
After he was released on bail and allowed to vote, Kejriwal urged citizens to "vote against the dictatorship" and was forced to retur to prison after the elections as part of his bail conditions. [124] [125]
The national executive meeting of the BJP held on 16 and 17 January 2023 saw the party reaffirm its faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and extend the tenure of BJP national president J. P. Nadda. [126] Charting out the BJP's strategy for the upcoming polls, Modi said in a speech to party workers that they should reach out to every section of society, including the marginalised and minority communities, without electoral considerations. [127]
Following the 2023 Legislative Assembly elections, Modi debuted the slogan "Modi Ki Guarantee" for the 2024 polls. [128] The slogan Abki Baar 400 Paar (This Time Surpassing 400), was coined by the BJP referring to the party's goal of winning more than 400 out of 543 seats in the elections. [129] [130] [131] Used along with the slogan Theesri bar Modi Sarkar' (Modi Government for the third time), similar to ones used by the BJP in previous elections, including the 2019 general election, election analysts said that the path for the BJP to achieve the goal of winning 400 seats would be to win more seats in the south of India than in previous elections. [132] [133]
The party held political rallies in multiple states with national leadership including Modi, BJP President J. P. Nadda and then Home minister Amit Shah campaigning actively. [134] [135] [136] During a campaign rally, then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath described the election as a contest between "devotees of Ram" and "anti-Ram forces" and urged voters to select the former. Modi also accused the opposition of plotting to raze the Ram Mandir temple once they were in power. [137]
On 14 April 2024, the BJP invited foreign diplomats posted in the country as well as 25 overseas political parties including the Conservative and the Labour parties of the United Kingdom, the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) of Germany and the Awami League of Bangladesh to observe the party's electoral campaign. [138] [139] This initiative is part of the "Know BJP" campaign, aimed at external outreach and familiarisation with the election process. As part of this program, BJP president Nadda met with envoys from 13 countries. [140] [141]
The bloc's first joint rally was held in Patna, Bihar on 3 March 2024. The rally saw, among others, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party leader Rahul Gandhi, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, and senior Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D. Raja. Kharge attacked Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal (United), who had switched allgeiance from the opposition to the ruling NDA alliance before the elections for frequently changing alliances and criticised the BJP for not fulfilling its promise of jobs and neglecting the country's poor and the majority. [142]
The alliance jointly held a rally at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on 17 March, a day after the end of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. The rally was attended by Gandhi, SS(UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, NCP(SP) leader Sharad Pawar, Tejashwi Yadav, and DMK leader and then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M. K. Stalin, among others. [143] At the rally, Gandhi said that he was compelled to launch the Bharat Jodo Yatra due to rising inflation and unemployment in the nation. [144]
The Congress campaign was launched from Nagpur at a rally on 28 December 2023. [145] The rally also marked the 138th Congress Foundation Day and was held to energise party cadres for the elections with party workers from all over the state called to join the rally. [146] [147] On 14 January, the party launched its Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, a sequel to the Bharat Jodo Yatra held the previous year. The yatra started in Thoubal, Manipur and ended in Mumbai on 16 March 2024, covering 6,713 km (4,171 mi) across 14 states. [148] [149]
The Congress started a crowdfunding campaign known as Donate for Desh (Donate for the Country) ahead of the elections and claimed to be inspired from Mahatma Gandhi's Tilak Swaraj Fund (1920–21). [150] It formally launched the campaign's digital version on 18 December 2023 with a dedicated website. The physical version of the campaign, which be done via door-to-door collection drives, was launched on 28 December. [151] The campaign received ₹1.45 crore (US$170,000) on its first day, with the top five states in amount of donations being Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Karnataka. [152] By the end of 2023, the campaign received around ₹9 crore (US$1.1 million), with 30% of the funds being collected from Telangana and Maharashtra alone. [153] The campaign had collected about ₹20 crore (US$2.4 million) according to the party when on 28 January, it rebranded its crowdfunding campaign to Donate for Nyay (Donate for Justice), in line with Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and collected a further ₹4 crore (US$480,000) in four days. [154] [155]
On 16 February 2024, the Congress alleged that the Income Tax Department (IT) ordered the freezing of bank accounts belonging to the party containing ₹210 crore (US$25 million) as part of an ongoing legal dispute. [112] The party's treasurer Ajay Maken later added that tax authorities imposed a ₹210 crore (US$25 million) lien on 13 February, sealed its bank accounts and confiscated ₹111 crore (US$13 million). The party's leader Rahul Gandhi complained that the restrictions had rendered the party unable to campaign properly, adding that the party's entire finance has been curtailed and accused Modi and Shah as responsible for the action against the party, which was denied by the BJP. Congress leader Sonia Gandhi also alleged that the tax issues were initiated as a part of planned efforts to cripple the party. [156]
According to the IT Department, it had recovered ₹135 crore (US$16 million) from the Congress for breaking the legislation exempting political parties from paying taxes, rather than freezing the party's bank accounts as the opposition party had claimed. [157] The party received notices from the department again on 29 March asking it to pay ₹1,823.08 crore (US$220 million), which was pending to be paid as taxes. The Congress again accused the BJP led government of engaging in "tax terrorism" and alleged that it is in violation of the income-tax laws, countering that the IT department should raise a demand of ₹4,617.58 crore (US$550 million) from the BJP. [158]
The CPI (M) began their election campaign in Kerala after announcing 15 candidates in the state. [159] The RJD began its campaign with its Jan Vishwas Yatra ("People's Trust Yatra") on 20 February 2024. Tejashwi Yadav launched the yatra from Muzaffarpur in Bihar and the yatra lasted until 1 March 2024 and covered 33 districts. [160] [161] In Siwan on 23 February, Yadav termed the BJP "a dustbin" which takes in other parties that have become "garbage". [162] [163] After an intra-party dispute that led to the splitting of the Shiv Sena based in Maharashtra, the Supreme Court of India barred the Shiv Sena (UBT) faction which joined the INDI alliance from using the party's bow-and-arrow symbol as its electoral symbol in balloting and awarded it instead to the Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena which joined the NDA. This led the UBT faction to adopt a torch as its electoral symbol. [164]
The BJP proposed a 'GYAN' formula consisting of four segments – Garib (poor), Yuva (youth), Annadata (farmers) and Nari (women) in its manifesto. [165] The Bharatiya Janata Party started a campaign to gather public recommendations and suggestions for the advancement of the State and the country, which will be incorporated into the party's manifesto titled 'Modi ki guarantee' for the 2024 general elections. [166] [167] [168] [169] [170] [171] [172]
The Congress released their group-specific manifesto promises for the general election in the month of March. [179] The manifesto focuses on five major segments of the population and promises them:
The complete manifesto titled Nyay Patra ( Hindi: न्याय पत्र, lit. 'Justice Paper') was released on 5 April 2024. [190] [191] Some noticeable points in the manifesto include (apart from above promises released earlier) the:
Polling agency | Date published | Sample size | Margin of error | Lead | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NDA | INDIA | Others | |||||
ABP News- CVoter | April 2024 [192] | 57,566 | ±3–5% | 46.6 | 39.8 | 13.6 | 6.8 |
News 18 | March 2024 [193] | 118,616 | ±4% | 48 | 32 | 20 | 16 |
ABP News- CVoter | March 2024 [194] | 41,762 [195] | ±5% | 46 | 39 | 15 | 7 |
Times Now-ETG | March 2024 [196] | 323,357 [197] | ±3% | 52 | 42 | 6 | 10 |
Zee News-Matrize | February 2024 [198] | 167,843 | ±2% | 43.6 | 27.7 | 24.9 | 15.9 |
India Today- CVoter | February 2024 [199] | 149,092 [200] | ±3–5% | 45 | 38 | 17 | 8 |
Times Now-ETG | February 2024 [201] | 156,843 [202] | ±2% | 41.8 | 28.6 | 29.6 | 13.2 |
ABP News- CVoter | December 2023 [203] | 200,000 | ±3–5% | 42 | 38 | 20 | 4 |
Times Now- ETG | December 2023 [204] [205] | 147,231 [206] | ±3% | 44 | 39 | 17 | 5 |
India TV-CNX | October 2023 [207] [208] | 54,250 | ±3% | 43.4 | 39.1 | 17.5 | 4.3 |
Times Now- ETG | October 2023 [209] | 135,100 [210] | ±3% | 42.6 | 40.2 | 17.2 | 2.4 |
August 2023 [211] [212] | 110,662 [213] | ±3% | 42.6 | 40.2 | 17.2 | 2.4 | |
India Today- CVoter | August 2023 [214] | 160,438 | ±3–5% | 43 | 41 | 16 | 2 |
Formation of the big-tent INDIA opposition bloc | |||||||
India Today- CVoter | January 2023 [215] | 140,917 | ±3–5% | 43 | 30 | 27 | 13 |
2019 election results | 45.3% | 27.5% | 27.2% | NDA |
Polling agency | Date published | Sample size | Margin of error | Lead | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NDA | INDIA | Others | |||||
2024 election results | 293 | 234 | 16 | NDA | |||
TV9 Bharatvarsh - Polstrat | April 2024 [216] | 2,500,000 | 3% | 362 | 149 | 32 | NDA |
ABP News- CVoter | April 2024 [192] | 57,566 | ±3–5% | 373 | 155 | 15 | NDA |
Times Now-ETG | April 2024 [217] | 271,292 [218] | ±3% | 384 | 118 | 41 | NDA |
News18 | March 2024 [219] | 118,616 [220] | ±4% | 411 | 105 | 27 | NDA |
ABP News- CVoter | March 2024 [221] | 41,762 | ±5% | 366 | 156 | 21 | NDA |
India TV-CNX | March 2024 [222] | 162,900 [223] | ±3% | 378 | 98 | 67 | NDA |
Times Now-ETG | March 2024 [224] | 323,357 | ±3% | 358–398 | 110–130 | 40–50 | NDA |
Zee News-Matrize | February 2024 [198] | 167,843 | ±2% | 377 | 93 | 73 | NDA |
India Today- CVoter | February 2024 [225] | 149,092 [226] | ±3–5% | 335 | 166 | 42 | NDA |
Times Now-ETG | February 2024 [227] | 156,843 | ±2% | 366 | 104 | 73 | NDA |
ABP- CVoter | December 2023 [203] | 200,000 | ±3–5% | 295–335 | 165–205 | 35–65 | NDA |
Times Now- ETG | December 2023 [204] [205] | 147,231 | ±3% | 319–339 | 148–168 | 52–61 | NDA |
India TV-CNX | October 2023 [207] [208] | 54,250 | ±3% | 315 | 172 | 56 | NDA |
Times Now- ETG | October 2023 [209] | 135,100 | ±3% | 297–317 | 165–185 | 57–65 | NDA |
August 2023 [228] [212] | 110,662 | ±3% | 296–326 | 160–190 | 56–64 | NDA | |
India Today- CVoter | August 2023 [214] | 160,438 | ±3–5% | 306 | 193 | 54 | NDA |
Formation of the big-tent INDIA opposition bloc | |||||||
India Today- CVoter | January 2023 [229] | 140,917 | ±3–5% | 298 | 153 | 92 | NDA |
2019 election results | 353 | 91 | 99 | NDA |
The Election Commission of India banned the publication of all exit polls starting 48 hours before Phase 1 of the election until the end of Phase 7. This was intended to prevent exit polls from earlier phases affecting voter decisions in later phases. The ban ended after the close of Phase 7 voting at 18:30 IST on 1 June 2024. [230]
Polling agency | Lead | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
NDA | INDIA | Others | ||
2019 election results | 353 | 91 | 99 | 81 |
ABP News- CVoter [231] | 368±15 | 167±15 | 8±4 | 96 |
Agni News Services [232] | 242 | 264 | 37 | HUNG |
Dainik Bhaskar [232] | 316±34 | 173±28 | 41±8 | 44 |
DB Live [233] | 221±20 | 275±15 | 38±10 | 3 |
India Today- Axis My India [234] | 381±20 | 148±18 | 14±6 | 109 |
India News-Dynamics [232] | 371 | 125 | 47 | 99 |
India TV-CNX [235] | 386±15 | 134±15 | 33±5 | 96 |
NDTV-Jan Ki Baat [236] | 377±15 | 151±10 | 15±5 | 105 |
News18- CNBC [237] | 362±8 | 132±8 | 47±5 | 90 |
News 24- Today's Chanakya [232] | 400±15 | 107-11 | 36±9 | 128 |
News Nation [232] | 360±18 | 161±8 | 22±1 | 88 |
Republic TV-Matrize [232] | 360±8 | 126±8 | 30 | 88 |
Republic TV-PMarq [232] | 359 | 154 | 30 | 87 |
Times Now- ETG [232] | 358 | 152 | 33 | 86 |
TV9 Bharatvarsh-Polstrat [238] | 346 | 162 | 35 | 74 |
2024 election results | 293 | 234 | 16 | 21 |
During Phase 1 of the election, violence broke out outside a polling station in Thamanpokpi in Manipur. [259] [260] Clashes between BJP and TMC party workers were reported in the Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri constituencies of West Bengal, [261] [262] and one Central Reserve Police Force (CPRF) personnel was found dead in a polling booth in Cooch Behar. [263] [264] In Chhattisgarh, one CRPF personnel was killed during polling. [265] [266] Clashes between VCK and BJP cadres were reported in Chidambaram constituency in Tamil Nadu, where two VCK cadres and one BJP cadre were injured. [267] [268]
During Phase 2 of voting, eight voters in Kerala died of heat stroke while voting. [269] [270] In Manipur, two CPRF personnel were killed and two more were seriously injured in a militant attack in Bishnupur district, [271] [272] a man was killed in a gunfight between two unidentified groups in the Kangpokpi and Imphal East districts, [273] [274] and incidents of EVM vandalism, voter intimidation and coercion were reported in two polling stations in Ukhrul. [275] [276]
A complaint letter by the Samvidhan Bacchao Nagrik Abhiyan (Save the Constitution Citizens' Campaign) organisation to the Election Commission of India, signed by over 17,400 people, alleged that Modi had violated the Model Code of Conduct and the Representation of the People Act, 1951 by making a speech "aiming at not only appealing to 'communal feelings' but also instigating and aggravating hatred in the Hindus against Muslims". [277] [278]
During Phase 6 of voting, Mehbooba Mufti, who is contesting the Anantnag–Rajouri constituency in Jammu and Kashmir for the Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party, said several of her party workers were detained by police to prevent them from voting. In West Bengal, TMC workers blocked the car of BJP candidate Agnimitra Paul while she was on her way to vote in the Medinipur constituency. [279] Prashant Jagdev, the BJP candidate for the 2024 Odisha Legislative Assembly election in Begunia, was arrested on suspicion of vandalising an EVM. [280]
During Phase 7 of voting, a mob looted election material from a polling booth and dumped it into a pond in Kultali, Jaynagar in West Bengal. Clashes erupted between BJP and TMC supporters in Sandeshkhali. [281] In Uttar Pradesh, at least 33 election workers, including security and sanitation staff, died of heat stroke, along with a voter waiting in line in Ballia. [282] State election officials subsequently stated that compensation of 1.5 million rupees ($18,000) would be given to the families of the deceased workers. [283] At least ten election related deaths were also reported in Bihar that day. [284] In response to the ongoing heatwave, ECI chief Rajiv Kumar said they had learned a lesson and "should have completed the election at least one month before". [285]
Instances of EVM malfunctioning, removal of candidates and names of voters missing from electoral rolls were reported throughout the elections. [286] [287] [288] On 18 April, the Supreme Court asked the Election Commission to look into reported EVM malfunctioning in Kerala. [289] 150 EVMs were replaced in Assam after reported malfunctioning. [290] In Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, about 33 nominations challenging Narendra Modi were rejected, of which eight applicants claimed that their nominations were rejected incorrectly. [291]
State/UT | Total | Voter turnout by phase | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Phase 1
19 April |
Phase 2
26 April |
Phase 3
7 May |
Phase 4
13 May |
Phase 5
20 May |
Phase 6
25 May |
Phase 7
1 June | ||||||||||
Seats | Turnout (%) | Seats | Turnout (%) | Seats | Turnout (%) | Seats | Turnout (%) | Seats | Turnout (%) | Seats | Turnout (%) | Seats | Turnout (%) | Seats | Turnout (%) | |
Andhra Pradesh | 25 | 81.86 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 25 | 81.86 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Arunachal Pradesh | 2 | 77.68 | 2 | 77.68 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Assam | 14 | 81.62 | 5 | 78.25 | 5 | 81.17 | 4 | 85.45 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Bihar | 40 | 56.19 | 4 | 49.26 | 5 | 59.45 | 5 | 59.14 | 5 | 58.21 | 5 | 56.76 | 8 | 57.18 | 8 | 53.29 |
Chhattisgarh | 11 | 72.17 | 1 | 68.29 | 3 | 76.24 | 7 | 71.98 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Goa | 2 | 76.06 | – | – | – | – | 2 | 76.06 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Gujarat | 26 | 60.13 | – | – | – | – | 25 | 60.13 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Haryana | 10 | 64.80 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10 | 64.80 | – | – |
Himachal Pradesh | 4 | 70.90 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | 70.90 |
Jharkhand | 14 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | 66.01 | 3 | 63.21 | 4 | 65.39 | 3 | 70.88 | |
Karnataka | 28 | 70.64 | – | – | 14 | 69.56 | 14 | 71.84 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Kerala | 20 | 71.27 | – | – | 20 | 71.27 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Madhya Pradesh | 29 | 66.87 | 6 | 67.75 | 6 | 58.59 | 9 | 66.74 | 8 | 72.05 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Maharashtra | 48 | 61.29 | 5 | 63.71 | 8 | 62.71 | 11 | 63.55 | 11 | 62.21 | 13 | 56.89 | – | – | – | – |
Manipur | 2 | 80.47 | 1+1⁄2 | 76.10 | 1⁄2 | 84.85 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Meghalaya | 2 | 76.60 | 2 | 76.60 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Mizoram | 1 | 56.87 | 1 | 56.87 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Nagaland | 1 | 57.72 | 1 | 57.72 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Odisha | 21 | 74.51 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | 75.68 | 5 | 73.50 | 6 | 74.45 | 6 | 74.41 |
Punjab | 13 | 62.80 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 13 | 62.80 |
Rajasthan | 25 | 61.34 | 12 | 57.65 | 13 | 65.03 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Sikkim | 1 | 79.88 | 1 | 79.88 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Tamil Nadu | 39 | 69.72 | 39 | 69.72 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Telangana | 17 | 65.67 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 17 | 65.67 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Tripura | 2 | 80.92 | 1 | 81.48 | 1 | 80.36 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Uttar Pradesh | 80 | 56.92 | 8 | 61.11 | 8 | 55.19 | 10 | 57.55 | 13 | 58.22 | 14 | 58.02 | 14 | 54.04 | 13 | 55.85 |
Uttarakhand | 5 | 57.22 | 5 | 57.22 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
West Bengal | 42 | 79.29 | 3 | 81.91 | 3 | 76.58 | 4 | 77.53 | 8 | 80.22 | 7 | 78.45 | 8 | 82.71 | 9 | 76.80 |
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | 64.10 | 1 | 64.10 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Chandigarh | 1 | 67.98 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 67.98 |
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | 2 | 71.31 | – | – | – | – | 2 | 71.31 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Delhi | 7 | 58.69 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 7 | 58.69 | – | – |
Jammu and Kashmir | 5 | 58.58 | 1 | 68.27 | 1 | 72.22 | – | – | 1 | 38.49 | 1 | 59.10 | 1 | 55.40 | – | – |
Ladakh | 1 | 71.82 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 71.82 | – | – | – | – |
Lakshadweep | 1 | 84.16 | 1 | 84.16 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Puducherry | 1 | 78.90 | 1 | 78.90 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Total | 543 | 66.33 | 101+1⁄2 | 66.14 | 87+1⁄2 | 66.71 | 93 | 65.68 | 96 | 69.16 | 49 | 62.20 | 58 | 63.37 | 57 | 63.88 |
Following the first round, the BJP won its first seat after Mukesh Dalal, its candidate for Surat constituency in Gujarat, was elected unopposed following rejection and withdrawal of other candidates. [296] [297] No voting was held in the constituency, as the ECI had certified the results two weeks prior due to the absence of rival candidates. [298]
The overall election result was described in several media sources as a "shock" to Narendra Modi, [299] [300] with the BJP falling short of its expectations of winning 400 seats. [301] Though pre-poll predictions were for an overwhelming majority for the BJP, the INDIA bloc performed much better than exit polls had predicted it to, [302] with upset victories in major states such as Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and West Bengal. [303] The BJP had to rely on the 28 cumulative seats won by the Andhra Pradesh-based Telugu Desam Party led by Chandrababu Naidu and the Bihar-based Janata Dal (United) led by Nitish Kumar in order for the NDA to retain its majority in the Lok Sabha. [304] [305] [306]
Region | Seats | NDA | INDIA | Others |
---|---|---|---|---|
North India | 151 | 83 | 72 | 6 |
South India | 131 | 49 | 77 | 5 |
East India | 118 | 72 | 45 | 1 |
West India | 78 | 45 | 31 | 2 |
Central India | 40 | 39 | 1 | 0 |
Northeast India | 25 | 16 | 7 | 2 |
Total | 543 | 293 | 234 | 16 |
State/Union Territory | Seats | NDA | INDIA | Others |
---|---|---|---|---|
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Andhra Pradesh | 25 | 21 | 0 | 4 |
Arunachal Pradesh | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Assam | 14 | 11 | 3 | 0 |
Bihar | 40 | 30 | 9 | 1 |
Chandigarh | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Chhattisgarh | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Delhi | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
Goa | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Gujarat | 26 | 25 | 1 | 0 |
Haryana | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
Himachal Pradesh | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Jammu and Kashmir | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Jharkhand | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 |
Karnataka | 28 | 19 | 9 | 0 |
Kerala | 20 | 1 | 19 | 0 |
Ladakh | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Lakshadweep | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Madhya Pradesh | 29 | 29 | 0 | 0 |
Maharashtra | 48 | 17 | 30 | 1 |
Manipur | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Meghalaya | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Mizoram | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Nagaland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Odisha | 21 | 20 | 1 | 0 |
Puducherry | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Punjab | 13 | 0 | 10 | 3 |
Rajasthan | 25 | 14 | 11 | 0 |
Sikkim | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Tamil Nadu | 39 | 0 | 39 | 0 |
Telangana | 17 | 8 | 8 | 1 |
Tripura | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Uttar Pradesh | 80 | 36 | 43 | 1 |
Uttarakhand | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
West Bengal | 42 | 12 | 30 | 0 |
Total | 543 | 293 | 234 | 16 |
Twelve Union ministers from the Second Modi ministry lost the election, which included two cabinet ministers and 10 ministers of state. [308]
Narendra Modi called the NDA's lead "a historical feat in India's history", while Congress party president Mallikarjun Kharge said the election was a "moral and political loss" for Modi and a "win for democracy" and the public. [309] In a speech to his supporters on 4 June, Modi said that the NDA would form a third consecutive government. [310] Following a meeting with other members of the NDA on 5 June, Modi was formally endorsed to become prime minister again. [311] On 7 June, he was selected as leader of the NDA [312] and was inaugurated as prime minister on 9 June. [313] On 10 June, Modi unveiled his 71-member cabinet, of which the BJP took 61 portfolios, including foreign affairs, home affairs, finance and defence, while the Telugu Desam Party and Janata Dal (United) took two ministries each, with the rest going to other members of the NDA. [314]
Sangli independent MP Vishal Patil, who is a primary member of the Congress party, extended support to it after the election, in effect increasing the opposition alliance tally to 235. [315] [316] [317] On 8 June, the leadership of the Congress Party unanimously nominated Rahul Gandhi to become Leader of the Opposition, a position which had been vacant since 2014. [318]
Leaders and officials of Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, China, Comoros, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Eswatini, European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guyana, Honduras, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, the Maldives, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Moldova, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor Leste, Uganda, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, Vietnam, Yemen and Zambia congratulated Modi on the victory. [319] [320] [321] [322] [323] [324] [325] [326]
The benchmark BSE Sensex and Nifty50 indices hit intraday record highs and the Indian rupee strengthened after the exit polls were released. However, on the day results were announced, Indian stock markets crashed. [327] Rahul Gandhi subsequently called for an investigation, saying that Modi, Amit Shah and finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had misled investors into buying stocks before the release of the election results on 4 June in anticipation of a landslide victory by the BJP. [328]