In a stunning rebuttal to exit polls, the Congress-led INDIA Block made a strong comeback in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Although it did not reach a majority, the opposition's performance has surprised all.
Analysis suggests the opposition could have won at least nine more seats where it narrowly lost, with third parties receiving a substantial number of votes. It's likely these parties cut into the opposition coalition's share, nudging INDIA Block towards defeat.
Allying with Prakash Ambedkar Could Have Been Beneficial
The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) headed by Prakash Ambedkar did not win any seats in Maharashtra, but in at least four constituencies, it received more votes than the margin by which the Indian People's Party and its allies won. The votes garnered by the VBA likely swayed the outcomes in Akola, Buldhana, Hatkanangle, and Mumbai North-West against Congress and its allies.
Source: aajtak
In Mumbai North-West, the winner Shiv Sena and the second-placed Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) were separated by only 48 votes. The VBA secured over 10,000 votes, which could have assisted the INDIA Block. In Hatkanangle, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena lost by 13,426 votes, whereas the VBA bagged 32,696 votes.
In Akola, Congress lost to BJP by 40,626 votes, while the VBA alone amassed 2.77 lakh votes. Congress and its allies had several negotiations with Ambedkar in Maharashtra, but he remained firm on his demand for six seats.
BSP Alters the Political Landscape
In three other constituencies - Jaipur Rural in Rajasthan, Kanker in Chhattisgarh, and Morena in Madhya Pradesh - the Bahujan Samaj Party also affected INDIA Block's chances. Congress lost to BJP in all three. In Jaipur Rural, the winning margin was just 1,615 votes, but BSP received 3,850 votes.
In Kanker, the margin of victory was 1,884 votes, while BSP received 11,770 votes. The best opportunity for INDIA Block was in Morena, where the margin of victory was 52,530 votes, and BSP had 1.8 lakh votes.
Losses for INDIA Block in Assam and Haryana
The remaining two seats were Karimganj in Assam and Kurukshetra in Haryana. The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) dashed Congress's hopes of winning Karimganj. Congress lost to BJP by 18,360 votes, while AIUDF got 29,205 votes.
In Kurukshetra, the Indian National Lok Dal candidate disrupted the path of Aam Aadmi Party's Dr. Sushil Gupta, who was defeated by BJP's Naveen Jindal. The margin was just 29,021 votes, whereas the INLD candidate secured 78,708 votes.
