India Bloc Confident Of Securing 295 Seats As 7-Phase Lok Sabha Elections Wrap Up
The seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha elections concluded on Saturday at 5 PM, marking the end of polling for all 543 parliamentary constituencies. This phase saw a voter turnout of 58.34 per cent until 5 PM, with 57 seats up for election.?West Bengal recorded the highest voter turnout in this phase, at 69.89 percent, while Bihar had the lowest turnout, at 48.86 percent.
State-wise voter turnout
Bihar: 48.86 per cent, Chandigarh: 66.56 per cent, Jharkhand: 67.95 per cent, Odisha: 62.46 per cent, Punjab: 55.20 per cent, Uttar Pradesh: 54.00 per cent, West Bengal: 69.89 per cent?
In the seventh phase, 8 Lok Sabha seats from Bihar, 4 from Himachal Pradesh, 3 from Jharkhand, 6 from Odisha, all 13 seats from Punjab, 13 from Uttar Pradesh, 9 from West Bengal, and 1 from Chandigarh went to polls.
Key constituencies & prominent candidates
The final phase featured some of the most prominent leaders contesting in the general elections, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Manish Tewari, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Anurag Thakur, Misa Bharti, Ram Kripal Yadav, Kangana Ranaut, Anand Sharma, Charanjit Singh Channi, Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Anupriya Patel, Ajay Rai, Pankaj Chaudhary, Raj Kumar Singh, Sita Soren, Upendra Kushwaha, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Pawan Singh, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Vikramaditya Singh, Nishikant Dubey, Srikant Kumar Jena, Preneet Kaur, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Prem Singh Chandumajra, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Abhishek Banerjee, Saugata Roy, Ravneet Singh Bittu, Hans Raj Hans, Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, Karamjit Anmol, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Arvind Rajbhar, Debasree Chaudhuri, and Baijayant 'Jay' Panda.
Key constituencies in this phase included Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Ghazipur, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Basirhat, Diamond Harbour, Mirzapur, Dum Dum, Patna Sahib, Patliputra, Balasore, Dumka, Godda, Hamirpur, Mandi, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, and Bathinda.
INDIA bloc confident of winning 295 Seats
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge expressed confidence that the Opposition alliance, INDIA bloc, will win more than 295 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. After a meeting with INDIA bloc parties, Kharge stated, "INDIA bloc will win at least 295 seats in the elections...it will be over that, but not less. We have analysed after discussing with all the leaders, and there is no doubt in the number...this is people's survey, based on the information given by people."
Kharge emphasized the alliance's commitment to presenting the truth to the people against the BJP's narrative. "Government survey also happens, they (BJP) have many ways to create surveys and media also highlights their chunks," he said. "We have decided to participate in exit poll debates. We want to take the truth to people, against the narrative they (BJP) are trying to present."
Previously, the Congress party had announced its decision not to participate in exit poll debates, calling them "speculation and slugfest for TRP." On the question of unity within the alliance, Kharge affirmed, "We are united, and we will remain united. Don't try to divide us."
Most exit polls forecast BJP-led NDA winning over 350 seats
After a marathon six-week-long Lok Sabha election in 2024, the second longest general election since 1951-52, the exit polls are in. Six exit polls predict a significant victory for the ruling BJP-led NDA. The forecasts are as follows: Republic Bharat-P Marq (359 seats), India News-D-Dyanamics (371 seats), Republic Bharat-Matrize (353-368 seats), Dainik Bhaskar (281-350 seats), News Nation (342-378 seats), and Jan Ki Baat (362-392 seats).
The exit polls also indicate NDA dominance in Karnataka and Maharashtra, and a significant defeat for the Left-led alliance in Kerala. In West Bengal, the BJP is expected to perform better than it did in the last election, where it secured 22 seats. At least three exit polls suggest that the BJP will now be the single-largest party in Bengal in terms of Lok Sabha seats.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 73, and his party, BJP, are widely expected to secure a third consecutive term. The Congress, weakened by election losses and defections, is part of the Opposition bloc INDIA, which is challenging the BJP.
Earlier phases of Lok Sabha polls 2024
Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted over 200 campaign events, including rallies and roadshows, in 75 days during the seven-phased Lok Sabha elections. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held more than 100 rallies and public interaction programs such as Nyay Sammelans and Nyay Manch.
Polling for the earlier six phases occurred on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, and May 25. Assembly polls were also conducted in Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. Odisha had simultaneous polls for both Lok Sabha and assembly in the last four phases.
In the 2019 elections, the BJP won 303 seats, with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) securing a total of 352. The Congress obtained 52 seats, and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) amassed 91 seats.
This time, the BJP has set a target of 370 seats, aiming to surpass the 400 mark with the help of its allies. The Lower House of Parliament consists of 543 seats, with the majority mark being 272.
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