 "Elections, voting, Lok Sabha elections")
After seven-phase voting for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the electoral arena is filled with anticipation. A total of 8,360 candidates are awaiting the outcome of their efforts to secure victory in the parliamentary constituencies they contested.
The counting of votes has started amid tight security.
The 1 pm trends show that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has crossed the majority mark of 289.
As of 11 am, the NDA was leading in 292 seats, indicating a possible coalition government. By 12 noon, the BJP alone was leading in more than 200 seats, while the opposition Congress had slipped below the 100-seat mark.
In Tamil Nadu, out of the 39 Lok Sabha constituencies, the DMK and its allies appear all set to win 37 segments and the AIADMK and BJP’s ally PMK may get one seat each, as per 1 pm trends.
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In West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress is leading in 31 of the 42 seats, while the BJP has a lead in 10 seats.
The ruling Congress and the BJP appeared to be sharing the top spot with BRS ceding ground in Telangana as they were leading in eight seats each out of the 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state, as per 1 pm trends.
In Punjab, the Congress was leading in seven seats and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in three, according to the Election Commission trends.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) was leading in one parliamentary constituency, besides two Independents, including jailed Sikh leader Amritpal Singh. Congress candidates were leading from Amritsar, Jalandhar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Gurdaspur, Patiala, Ferozepur and Ludhiana seats and the AAP was ahead in Hoshiarpur, Sangrur and Anandpur Sahib, the 1 pm trends showed.
Voting for 543 Lok Sabha seats took place between April 19 and June 1, with each seat electing one representative to the Lower House of Parliament. A party or coalition requires a majority of 272 seats to form the government.
This year’s Lok Sabha elections were the second-longest since India’s first election in 1951-52. Election trends typically become apparent within an hour of counting, with clear results expected by the afternoon of the counting day. Poll officials have stated that the counting of electronic voting machine (EVM) votes will commence 30 minutes after the postal ballot count.
The BJP has set ambitious targets this time, aiming for 370 seats for itself and 400 seats for the NDA. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP’s primary campaigner, participated in over 200 public meetings, including rallies and roadshows.
The Congress, weakened by electoral losses and defections, is part of the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc, challenging the BJP. The INDIA bloc’s campaign included joint rallies by various Opposition leaders.
