The 2024 Lok Sabha elections have dealt a significant blow to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with several prominent leaders suffering humiliating defeats. These losses, particularly in the crucial Hindi heartland states, have forced the ruling party to lean on its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners to form the government at the Centre.
This outcome starkly contrasts the sweeping mandates of 2014 and 2019, when the BJP garnered 282 and 303 seats respectively, achieving a majority on its own. However, in the latest elections, the party has managed to secure only 240 seats, falling short of the magic number of 272 required for a simple majority.
Let’s take a look at the Ones Who Lost:
– Smriti Irani: One of the most high-profile defeats was that of Smriti Irani in Amethi, where she lost to Congress candidate Kishori Lal Sharma by a margin of 1,67,196 votes. Irani’s defeat marked the end of an era in Amethi, which had briefly become a BJP bastion after her famous victory over Rahul Gandhi in 2019.
– Ajay Mishra Teni: The Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, embroiled in the controversial Lakhimpur Kheri incident, was defeated by the Samajwadi Party’s Utkarsh Verma by over 34,329 votes.
– Arjun Munda: The Union Tribal Affairs Minister faced a crushing defeat in Jharkhand’s Khunti constituency, losing to Congress candidate Kalicharan Munda by 1,49,675 votes.
– Kailash Choudhary: In Rajasthan’s Barmer, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Kailash Choudhary, finished third, trailing the victorious Ummeda Ram Beniwal of the Congress by a staggering 4.48 lakh votes.
– Rajeev Chandrasekhar: In Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram, the Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, lost to Congress stalwart Shashi Tharoor by over 16,077 votes.
The BJP’s setbacks were not limited to these prominent figures. Several other ministers, including:
– Mahendra Nath Pandey (Union Minister of Heavy Industries, lost Chandauli seat in UP)
– Kaushal Kishore (Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, lost in Mohanlalganj)
– Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti (Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution, lost in UP’s Fatehpur)
– Sanjeev Balyan (Union Minister, defeated in Muzaffarnagar)
– Rao Saheb Danve (Minister of State for Railways, lost Jalna seat in Maharashtra)
– RK Singh (Cabinet Minister, lost in Bihar’s Arrah)
– V Muraleedharan (Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, defeated in Thiruvananthapuram)
– L Murugan (Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, lost in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris)
– Nishith Pramanik (Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, lost Cooch Behar seat in West Bengal)
– Subhas Sarkar (Minister of State for Education, defeated in West Bengal’s Bankura)
These losses have sent shockwaves through the BJP’s ranks, as the party grapples with the reality of a weakened mandate and the need to rely on its allies to form the government. The results suggest a significant erosion of support for the BJP, particularly in the Hindi heartland states, which have traditionally been its strongholds.
Political analysts attribute these setbacks to a multitude of factors, including the economic slowdown, rising unemployment, and perceived mishandling of issues such as the farmers’ protests and the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the BJP’s critics have accused the party of promoting divisive policies and failing to address the concerns of the common people.
Also Read: Both NDA, INDIA To Hold Key Meetings Today, Day After Results
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