After a long-drawn process, the Election Commission of India announced the results for all 543 seats early this morning with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) securing 240 seats, falling short of the majority needed to form the government in the Lok Sabha on its own. The BJP will have to rely on its allies to reach at 272 figures required to form the next government.
The BJP has called a meeting of the NDA parties in New Delhi today at 4 pm. JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu, who is set to become the next Andhra Pradesh chief minister are expected to attend the meeting. Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) led by Chirag Paswan has won 5 seats. He will also attend the meet.
At the same time, with over 200 seats in their kitty, the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc will also hold a meeting today at 6 PM to chalk out its next steps.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that the INDIA alliance will decide on its Prime Ministerial candidate in its meeting. The Congress, which is part of the opposition INDIA bloc, won 99 seats compared to 52 it won in 2019, eating into the BJP’s share in Rajasthan and Haryana.
According to the final results, declared early on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is poised to form the government for a third consecutive term with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) getting a majority in the Lok Sabha, notwithstanding crushing losses in three Hindi heartland states after a bitterly fought election that was projected as a referendum on his popularity.
With support from key allies N Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), which won 16 and 12 seats in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, respectively, and other alliance partners, the NDA crossed the halfway mark.
As the Samajwadi Party kept the INDIA bloc’s morale high in Uttar Pradesh with 37 seats, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), another key member of the opposition alliance, won 29 seats in West Bengal, higher than its 2019 tally of 22. The BJP, which had won 18 seats in the last Lok Sabha elections, won 12 seats.
With inputs from agencies.
 "BJP’s ‘severe setback’ is actually an incredible achievement")
 "Lok Sabha election results 2024: Can the INDI Alliance stake claim to form the government?")
 "Narendra Modi, Nehru & more: Who are India's longest-serving prime ministers?")
 "FirstUp: Crucial meetings on 2024 Lok Sabha election result by NDA, INDI Alliance... Headlines for today")