18:00 IST, June 4, 2024: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to form its third consecutive government at the Centre, despite falling short of a simple majority in the Lok Sabha. The BJP secured 240 seats, which is 32 seats short of the required 272 for a majority in the 543-member House. This development marks a significant shift as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will now have to rely on his allies to form a stable government, a contrast to the clear majorities the BJP enjoyed in the 2014 and 2019 elections.
17:45 IST, June 4, 2024: The Congress party has made a significant comeback, nearly doubling its tally from the 2019 elections by winning 99 seats. This marks a resurgence for the Congress, which had been relegated to the sidelines following its lowest-ever tally in the 2014 elections. The Congress-led INDIA bloc, which includes several regional parties, secured over 231 seats, indicating a robust performance by the Opposition.
17:30 IST, June 4, 2024: A total of 15 Muslim candidates have won seats in the Lok Sabha this election. Notably, former India cricketer Yusuf Pathan, contesting for the first time, defeated Congress veteran Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in Baharampur. This election saw 78 Muslim candidates in the fray, compared to 115 in the 2019 elections.
17:15 IST, June 4, 2024: Among the successful Muslim candidates is Congress candidate Imran Masood, who secured the Saharanpur seat with a substantial margin of 64,542 votes. Iqra Choudhary, a 29-year-old Samajwadi Party candidate, won the Kairana seat, defeating BJP’s Pradeep Kumar by 69,116 votes. In Ghazipur, Afzal Ansari emerged victorious, while AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi retained his Hyderabad seat by a margin of 3,38,087 votes against BJP’s Madhavi Latha Kompella.
17:00 IST, June 4, 2024: In Ladakh, Independent candidate Mohammad Haneefa won by a margin of 27,862 votes, and another Independent candidate, Abdul Rashid Sheikh, secured the Baramulla seat in Jammu and Kashmir with 4.7 lakh votes. In Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party’s Mohibbullah won the Rampur seat with 4,81,503 votes, while Zia Ur Rehman won in Sambhal by a margin of 1.2 lakh votes.
16:45 IST, June 4, 2024: Mian Altaf Ahmad of the National Conference won the Anantnag-Rajouri seat in Jammu and Kashmir by 2,81,794 votes against former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. In Srinagar, National Conference candidate Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi secured 3,56,866 votes.
16:30 IST, June 4, 2024: In West Bengal’s Baharampur seat, first-time contender Yusuf Pathan defeated Congress’ leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, by 85,022 votes. This victory highlights the diverse representation in the new Lok Sabha, reflecting the varied political landscape of the country.
16:15 IST, June 4, 2024: With the Congress-led INDIA bloc winning over 231 seats and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) securing 295 seats, the formation of the government will mark the first time Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have to rely on coalition support. In previous elections, the BJP had won 282 seats in 2014 and 303 seats in 2019. The INDIA bloc is reportedly reaching out to NDA allies in hopes of garnering support to potentially form a government, highlighting the dynamic and fluid nature of this election’s outcomes.
