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Election Results 2024 Live Updates: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi demanded a JPC probe into alleged links between exit polls and the stock markets crash, while addressing the press on Thursday, 6 June, adding that it was a "scam" orchestrated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
Meanwhile, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu are scheduled to present a list of newly-elected MPs to President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday, 6 June, to initiate the formation of the 18th Lok Sabha.
Meetings of the allies of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Opposition's INDIA bloc concluded in Delhi on Wednesday, 5 June, as the BJP walks a tight rope post election results.
PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday also met President Droupadi Murmu to tender his resignation and will be the caretaker PM till the swearing-in ceremony scheduled on 8 June. Modi was unanimously elected as the leader of NDA in the meeting held on Wednesday.
(Photo: PTI)
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar aboard a flight with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav en route to Delhi, Wednesday, June 5, 2024.
(Photo: PTI)
(Photo: PTI)
(Photo: PTI)
(Photo: PTI)
(Photo: PTI)
(Photo: PTI)
(Photo: PTI)
INDIA bloc leaders holding a meeting at Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge's residence.
NDA leaders pose for a photo following a meeting at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence on Wednesday, 5 June.
Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe to attend Modi's oath-taking ceremony.
The NDA bagged 293 seats, just 20 above the majority mark required for government formation. The Opposition INDIA bloc bagged 232 seats.
Amid speculations of a switch, TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday confirmed that he is with the NDA alliance.
While Bihar CM Nitish Kumar confirmed the same, his 'shared flight' with rival and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav from Patna to Delhi turned heads on Wednesday.
Tejashwi Yadav told the media that 'no political discussions' took place with Nitish Kumar but 'nothing can be ruled out'.
Maharashtra deputy CM and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis offered to step down from the post while taking responsibility of the party's poor performance in the state.
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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has finally opened its account in Kerala – a state that has, for the longest time, remained out of its grip. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has clinched one seat – Thrissur – as counting is underway for the Lok Sabha elections on Tuesday, 4 June.
While actor Suresh Gopi won the constituency by a margin of 74,686 votes, Union Minister of State Rajeev Chandrasekhar has conceded defeat after a neck-to-neck fight with three-time Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who has won the segment with a margin of 16,077 votes. Chandrasekhar had been leading in the initial rounds of counting.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) swept the Lok Sabha elections in the 42 seats of West Bengal, setting a strong narrative ahead of the Assembly elections in the state scheduled for 2026. At 7 PM, the TMC has won in 3 seats and leading in 26 seats – up seven seats from their 2019 Lok Sabha tally.
The BJP’s tally came down to 12 seats from its earlier tally of 18. Meanwhile, the Congress, which was fighting in alliance with the Left, saw its tally come down to one from two, with senior party leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury trailing behind the TMC’s Yusuf Pathan by over 85,000 votes.
Defying most exit polls predictions, which gave over 30 seats to the NDA, the BJP-Shinde-Ajit Pawar alliance has secured 17 out of 48 seats in the state, while the INDIA bloc has bagged 30 seats. This is a major dip in the NDA's tally in the state which had won 41 seats, both in 2014 and 2019.
Here are 5 reasons that led to NDA's defeat in the state:
Even though the saffron party's tally of seats was down by around 60 seats as compared to their 2019 performance, their vote share saw a marginal increase from 37.36 percent in 2019 to 36.88 percent in 2024.
With the NDA's seat tally reaching 290, the BJP might be looking at a historic third term in office, albeit with several lessons.
6 key takeaways on the BJP's victory:
Amid suspense around government formation, JD(U) chief and NDA ally Nitish Kumar, and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav - who had sworn alliance to the INDIA bloc - will be flying to Delhi in the same flight, India Today has reported.
Both INDIA bloc and NDA are scheduled to have meetings in Delhi today.
Newly-elected Congress MP from Chandigarh, Manish Tewari told reporters, "I would like to thank all the INDIA alliance partners for their hard work and dedication. If you see this election from a national perspective, you will see that it is a no-confidence motion for the BJP."
The INDIA Janbandhan leaders will be meeting today at 6pm in Delhi to discuss the election results and strategy thereafter.
With the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) winning by a slender majority, and the BJP not be crossing the halfway mark on its own, the focus is now on the BJP's pre-poll allies.
The biggest players in this space will be Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) and N Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP). While the JD-U won 12 seats, the TDP bagged 16.
Between the two parties, they now hold the cards for government formation.
The Maharashtra BJP is conducting a meeting of its core committee in Mumbai after the party won nine of the total 48 seats in Lok Sabha Elections.
State BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and other leaders are present.
Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar has arrived in Delhi for the NDA meeting. He was accompanied by party MP Sanjay Kumar Jha.
"Sarkar toh ab banegi hi," Nitish told reporters at the Delhi airport.
On being asked by reporters if the INDIA bloc will try to have form their govt at the Centre, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav retorted, "Have some patience...wait and watch."
When asked about travelling in the same flight to Delhi, Yadav said, "We greeted each other. Baaki kya hota hai, aage dekhte rahiye."
During a Cabinet meeting being held at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, the Union Cabinet recommended on dissolving the 17th Lok Sabha.
TDP leader Kanumuru Raghu Rama said that his party and the chief minister-elect of Andhra Pradesh Chandrababu Naidu will extend full support to the NDA.
"Obviously Narendra Modi is going to be the PM. There is no doubt in it. I am from TDP and our would be CM will extend his support," Raju told PTI after landing at the Delhi airport for a meeting of NDA allies.
The swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi as prime minister and the formation of a new NDA government is likely to take place on Saturday, 8 June, news agency ANI reported.
Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and Congress leader Kamal Nath said that the state unit will review the reasons behind the party's abysmal performance in the state.
"We will review the reasons behind Congress party's performance in Lok Sabha elections...The INDIA alliance performed well in the country...PM Modi used to say '300 paar, 400 paar', BJP was only able to cross the mark of 240 Lok Sabha seats," he said.
JD(S) leader and newly-elected Mandya MP HD Kumaraswamy said that he will attend the meeting of NDA allies and that a new government will be formed under PM Modi's leadership.
"Union Home Minister and BJP President invited me for today's meeting in the PM's residence. I am attending the meeting without any big agenda from our side. We wanted to form the government without any hurdles under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi," he said.
Addressing speculations that TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu might switch sides and join the INDIA bloc, Kumaraswamy said that Naidu is a "mature politician" and that he "won't do any such thing".
Newly-elected MP Akhilesh Yadav collected his winning certificate from the EC office in Uttar Pradesh's Kannauj.
"I want to assure the people of Kannauj that speed of development that Samajwadis gave to Kannauj, we will take it forward," he said.
Even while plans are allegedly afoot by the Opposition INDIA bloc to include the Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party and Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) into its fold and thus put up a strong fight against the NDA, several world leaders congratulated PM Modi over the election win.
Maldives President Mohammed Muizzu said that he was looking forward to working with Modi to "advance our shared interests in pursuit of shared prosperity and stability for our two countries".
"Congratulations to Prime Minister @narendramodi, and the BJP and BJP-led NDA, on the success in the 2024 Indian General Election, for the third consecutive term. I look forward to working together to advance our shared interests in pursuit of shared prosperity and stability for our two countries," Muizzu said in a tweet.
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that his country looks forward to "further strengthening the partnership with India".
"I extend my warmest felicitations to the @BJP4India led NDA on its victory, demonstrating the confidence of the Indian people in the progress and prosperity under the leadership of PM @narendramodi," he tweeted.
Similarly, Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' hailed the "enthusiastic participation" of the people of India in completing the world's "largest democratic exercise".
"Congratulations to PM Narendra Modi on the electoral success of BJP and NDA in the Lok Sabha elections for the third consecutive term," he added.
TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee said that he will be representing the party at the INDIA bloc meeting on Wednesday, 5 June.
"Our party leader Mamata Banerjee nominated me to lead the party delegation for the INDIA alliance meeting, for which I am going," he said while speaking to the press in Kolkata.
"A month ago, the BJP was asking people for a specific number of seats so that the Mamata government does not survive. Now, you are asking me whether the NDA government will survive or not. Never underestimate the power of the common man," he added.
The Congress posted a photo of Rahul, Sonia, and Priyanka Gandhi posing with newly-elected Amethi MP Kishori Lal Sharma, who wrested the seat from the BJP's Smriti Irani.
TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu landed in Delhi for a key meeting of NDA partners on Wednesday, 5 June.
"We are in NDA, I am going for the NDA meeting," he said while addressing the press.
Ahead of the new government formation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and all current Cabinet ministers submitted their resignation to President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday, 5 June.
President Murmu accepted the resignation and requested the prime minister and the Cabinet to continue in office till a new government is formed.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, 5 June, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis offered to resign as deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, taking responsibility for the party's poor performance in the Lok Sabha election in the state.
"This debacle that happened in Maharashtra, our seats have reduced, the entire responsibility for this is mine. I accept this responsibility and will try to fulfill whatever is lacking. I am not a person who will run away... we will prepare a new strategy and after preparing a new strategy we will go among the public," he said.
The BJP won only nine out of 48 seats in the state.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray will be attending the INDIA bloc meeting in Delhi on Wednesday, 5 June, party leader Sushma Andhare said.
Newly-elected NDA MPs will hold a meeting at the Central Hall of Parliament at 11:00 AM on 7 June, news agency ANI reported.
After his meeting with President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar at the VP's Enclave on Wednesday, 5 June.
When asked whether he gave any advice to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on which seat to retain -- Rae Bareli or Wayanad -- newly-elected Amethi MP Kishori Lal Sharma told PTI, "I did not give him (Rahul Gandhi) any advice. But I would want him to keep Rae Bareli."
After collecting his winning certificate in Kannauj, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav left for Delhi to attend the INDIA bloc meeting scheduled in the evening.
“The public has supported PDA's strategy and INDIA alliance. We are going (to the meeting) to formulate a strategy," he said.
A meeting of all NDA partners is scheduled to take place at 4:00 PM at the residence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar are expected to attend the meeting.
NDA leaders have started arriving for a key meeting at the residence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi.
Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Chandrababu Naidu, and Nitish Kumar are among the leaders who are said to have arrived so far.
Amid speculation of a possible shift of Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar away from the NDA and in support of the INDIA bloc, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale said that no NDA partner will shift their allegiance to any other alliance.
"People have given the responsibility of forming the government of NDA under the leadership of PM Modi...No ally of NDA alliance will shift loyalties...In the Union cabinet meeting, we held a discussion on works done by the government under the leadership of PM Modi," he said while speaking to ANI.
"A unanimous decision was taken by the Union cabinet to support PM Modi...In the NDA meeting, we will support the candidature of Narendra Modi for the post of Prime Minister," Athawale added.
A key meeting of NDA partners is underway at the residence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar are among the attendees.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet President Droupadi Murmu after the ongoing NDA meeting to stake claim to form the government, NDTV reported.
Reacting to BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis' offer to resign as Maharashtra Deputy CM over the party's poor performance in the state, CM Eknath Shinde said, "Electoral defeat is a collective responsibility. All three parties had worked together in the elections. If you look at the vote share, Mahayuti got more than two lakh votes in Mumbai. The reasons for the defeat will be honestly reviewed."
"I will be speaking to Devendra ji soon. We have worked together in the past and we will keep on working in the future. We have collectively failed to counter the false claims of the opposition," he added.
Reflecting on the BJP's below-par performance in Uttar Pradesh, party leader Dinesh Pratap Singh said that an "illusion" has been created about the party's falling fortunes in the state.
"This is a time for serious introspection for the BJP and party workers like me... We built the Ram Temple after 500 years of wait and huge airports and railway stations. An illusion has been created among the people, we will clear that illusion and create an environment in the favour of the BJP," he told ANI.
INDIA bloc partners will hold a meeting at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, 5 June, at the residence of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge.
Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Tejashwi Yadav, Sharad Pawar, MK Stalin, Raghav Chadha, Supriya Sule, and Kalpana Soren are among the leaders who have arrived at the residence of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge for a meeting of INDIA bloc partners.
A meeting of INDIA bloc partners is underway at the residence of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge.
Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Tejashwi Yadav, Sharad Pawar, MK Stalin, Raghav Chadha, Supriya Sule, and Kalpana Soren are among the leaders who are attending the key meeting.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other INDIA bloc leaders, including Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar, posed for a picture following their meeting at the PM's residence on Wednesday.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, while addressing INDIA bloc leaders during a meeting on Wednesday, 5 June, said that the election result represents not only a political defeat for Prime Minister Narendra Modi but also a moral defeat.
"The public opinion of the 18th Lok Sabha elections is directly against Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The elections were fought on his name and face and the public has given a clear message to his leadership by not giving the BJP a majority," he said.
Meeting of the INDIA bloc concludes at Mallikarjun Kharge's residence in Delhi.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, while speaking to the media said, "The INDIA bloc will continue will fight against the fascist rule of the BJP led by PM Modi. We will take the appropriate steps at the appropriate time to realise the people's desire not to be ruled by the BJP's government."
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe have confirmed their presence at the oath-taking ceremony of Narendra Modi as the prime minister of India.
Multiple reports suggested that invitations have also been sent to Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda, Bhutan premier Tshering Tobgay, and Mauritius PM Pravind Jugnauth.
The ceremony is scheduled to take place on Saturday, 8 June.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu are scheduled to present a list of newly-elected MPs to President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday, 6 June, to initiate the formation of the 18th Lok Sabha.
A meeting of NCP leaders is underway at the residence of Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar.
This comes in the backdrop of Pawar giving a key NDA meeting a miss on Wednesday.
When asked whether he had been approached by the Opposition INDIA bloc, LJP (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan told news agency ANI: "Opposition can certainly make a failed attempt to fulfill their ambitions. Perhaps they are making such attempts. For them, policy and ideology do not matter. They don't shy away from insulting the mandate when it comes to fulfilling their ambitions,"
He also said that his party is "strongly" with the NDA and that a new government under PM Narendra Modi's leadership will be formed soon.
A meeting of the Congress Working Committee, presided by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, will be held at the AICC headquarters on 8 June -- the same day as the oath-taking ceremony of PM Modi, ANI reported.
The swearing-in ceremony of Chandrababu Naidu as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh is likely to be held on 12 June, sources told The Quint.
Naidu was earlier scheduled to take oath on 8 June, but the ceremony is said to have been moved to avoid a clash with PM Modi's oath-taking ceremony on the same day.
A key BJP meeting is underway at the residence of party chief JP Nadda. Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh are in attendance, PTI reported.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to address the media at 5:00 PM today, the party said.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi demanded a JPC probe into alleged links between exit polls and the stock markets crash, while addressing the press on Thursday.
"For the first time we noted that during the elections, the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister and the Finance Minister commented on the stock market. The Prime Minister said that the stock market is rising at a great speed," he said.
"The Union Home Minister said that on June 4 the stock market will be on the rise and you all should invest and similar was said by the Finance Minister...Amit Shah says buy shares before June 4, 19 May PM Modi says the stock market will break records on June 4," Gandhi added.
The Congress leader then questioned why PM Modi and Amit Shah gave "specific investment advice" to people investing in the markets.
"Why did the PM and Union Home Minister give specific investment advice to the five crore families investing in the stock market? Is it their job to give investment advice? Why were both interviews given to the same media owned by the same business group which is also under SEBI investigation for manipulating stock?" Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said while questioning the BJP.
"What is the connection between the BJP, the fake exit pollsters and the dubious foreign investors who invested one day before the exit polls were announced and made a huge profit at the cost of five crore salaries? We demand a JPC into this," he added.
"We are convinced that this is a scam. Somebody has made thousands of crores of rupees at the cost of Indian retail investors and the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister have given an indication to buy. So we demand today a joint parliamentary committee to investigate this," the Congress leader further said.
He further said that the issue was much "broader" than just the stocks of Adani enterprises.
"This is a broader issue than just the Adani issue. It is connected to the Adani issue, but this is a much broader issue. This is directly the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister, who is privy to data on actual election results, who has IB reports, who have their own data, who are advising retail investors to buy stock," he alleged.
"This has never happened before. The Prime Minister has never commented on the stock market before. This is the first time the Prime Minister has commented very interestingly and multiple times, one after the other, saying that the stock market is going to boom. At the same time, he has information that the exit polls are wrong. He has information that he knows what is going to happen because he has IB data and he also has his own party data," Gandhi said.
Newly-elected BJP MP Kangana Ranaut shared a video on X alleging that she was slapped by a CISF personnel at the Chandigarh Airport on Thursday.
"I am receiving several phone calls from the media and well-wishers. Firstly, I am safe and fine. The incident that happened at Chandigarh Airport... it happened near the security check. As I passed from the security check, the CISF personnel hit me on my face and started abusing me. When I asked why she did so, she said she supports farmers' protest. I am safe but my concern is... the terrorism and extremism increasing in Punjab, how do we handle that?" she said.
Reacting to Rahul Gandhi's allegations of links between PM Modi, exit polls, and the recent markets crash, BJP leader Piyush Goyal said that the Congress leader was trying to "mislead" market investors.
"Rahul Gandhi has still not overcome the loss in the Lok Sabha Elections. Now, he is conspiring to mislead the market investors. Today, India has become the fifth-largest economy," he said.
Published: 05 Jun 2024,11:24 AM IST