The 2024 Lok Sabha election was the longest yet, spanning 44 days between the first and final phases of voting. The previous 2019 election was completed within 39 days, despite having the same seven-phase format.
Voting for the first phase occurred on April 19, while the last phase concluded on June 1. These were the dates that witnessed India Block turning the tide against the incumbent NDA.
A total of 158 seats were contested in both the first and last phase, with India Block claiming victory in 98 of those. With a total win of 234 seats, India Block secured 42% of those in the two pivotal phases alone, while NDA managed 53.
Which phase tilted the scale?
- First Phase:
On April 19, 102 seats went to vote. However, voting in the Inner Manipur seat took place in the second phase, thus concluding voting on 101 seats. NDA won 33, India Block 64, and others 4.
- Second Phase:
On April 26, 88 seats were polled. NDA claimed victory on 53 seats, while India Block won 34, with only one seat going to other parties.
- Third Phase:
On May 7, 94 seats went to the polls. NDA emerged victorious on 66 seats, India Block on 26. Others managed to win only two seats.
- Fourth Phase:
On May 13, voting took place for 96 Lok Sabha seats. NDA won 60, and India Block managed 31. The remaining five were captured by other parties.
- Fifth Phase:
On May 20, 49 seats were contested. NDA won on 23 and India Block on 24, with two seats going to other parties.
Source: aajtak
- Sixth Phase:
On May 25, 58 seats were up for polls. Led by BJP, NDA won 37, and Congress-led India captured 21. No seats were won by parties outside of these coalitions.
- Seventh Phase:
In the final phase on June 1, 57 seats were contested. NDA secured 20, while India Block won 34. The others claimed three seats.
Read more about the nuanced dynamics of the 2024 Indian elections in this riveting account of partnership ruptures and alliances that span over a decade:
Highlighting the 2024 Election Outcome
- Narrowest Victory:
In this election, the candidate from Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), Ravindra Waikar, claimed the narrowest margin of victory by defeating Shiv Sena (Thackeray faction)'s candidate Amol Gajanan Kirtikar by just 48 votes in Mumbai North-West.
- Largest Victory:
Shankar Lalwani of BJP achieved the largest victory margin by winning Indore seat with a lead of 1,175,092 votes. The next significant win was by Rakibul Hasan of Congress from Assam's Dhubri seat, beating AIUDF's Badruddin Ajmal by 1,012,476 votes.
Source: aajtak
- Reserved Seat Victories:
Out of the 543 Lok Sabha seats, 156 are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs). NDA won 58, while India claimed 93 of these reserved seats. Of the 68 seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs), NDA and India won 45 and 18, respectively.
- Regional Wins Analysis:
In the east, out of 142 seats, NDA won 86 and India 52. In the north, from 126 seats, NDA secured 59 and India 61. Of the 131 southern seats, NDA took 50, and India won 76. In the west, NDA won 97 of the 143 seats while India secured 44.
