Election results 2024 LIVE updates: Counting of votes to begin at 8am

Election results 2024 LIVE: Preparations underway on the eve of counting of votes at Kalmna Market Yard in Nagpur. (ANI)

How Lok Sabha election campaign panned out

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP’s biggest vote magnet, outdid every other leader in terms of the sheer number of rallies and roadshows. With a total of 206 public outreach programmes since the announcement of the poll schedule, Modi surpassed his nearly-145 public engagements during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections by a big margin. The top BJP leader started his election campaign with focus on his government’s development work and schemes but turned to divisive speech after the first phase of voting, a move seen by many as a bid to energise his core Hindu voter base in absence of a single big-ticket campaign issue. In his rallies, Prime Minister Modi claimed that the Congress party, if voted to power, would snatch away the “mangalsutra” of women and give it to “those who have more children”, a veiled reference to Muslims. He also repeatedly claimed that the grand old party was conspiring to take away “your property” and “distribute it among selected people.”

Lok Sabha election 2024 results: How and where to watch vote counting live

AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, who notched up a total of 108 public outreach programmes, took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and countered his attacks during her whirlwind campaign. Senior Congress leader and former party president Rahul Gandhi, on the other hand, made the ‘Nyay’ guarantee a major theme of his campaign. The Congress and its allies tried to set a narrative around the alleged threat to democracy and reservation claiming that the BJP would “change” the Constitution of India if voted to power once again. Rahul Gandhi in his rallies promised that poor women would receive ₹8,500 in their bank accounts every month ‘khata-khata khata-khat’, a Hindi onomatopoeia that indicates swiftness of the action. In response, Modi said at a rally the opposition coalition would disintegrate after the polls “khata-khat”. Soon ‘khata-khat’ became the sound of election as Congress allies, particularly Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, came up with their own versions like fata-fat, sata-sat, safachat.

3 key factors to look at in today’s Lok Sabha results

Counting of votes

Counting of votes in India is a decentralised process, with each parliamentary constituency having one or more counting centres. The counting of postal ballot papers begins first, with only those ballots received by the Returning Officer before the hour fixed for the commencement of counting being taken up. Electronic Voting Machines are taken up next for the counting of votes. Each EVM corresponds to a specific polling booth, and votes are counted booth-wise. The results from each round are displayed publicly and communicated to the candidates and their representatives. As mandated by the Supreme Court of India, the slips from VVPATs from five randomly selected polling stations per assembly segment of a parliamentary constituency are matched with the EVM results to ensure accuracy. After all rounds of counting are completed, the results from each EVM are compiled to determine the total votes received by each candidate. In case the margin of victory is less than the number of postal ballot papers rejected, all such rejected postal ballot papers shall be mandatorily re-verified before declaration of the result.

Announcement of results

Results are announced for each Lok Sabha seat as soon as counting is finished, using a first-past-the-post system where the candidate with the most votes wins, even without a majority. Result trends typically emerge by the afternoon of counting day and are broadcast on television channels. The official count on the Election Commission of India (ECI) website is often delayed. Once the ECI announces results for all 543 seats, the president invites the leader of the party or coalition with 272 or more seats to form the government.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 303 seats, crossing the halfway mark of 272 on its own while its allies secured 50 more seats. The opposition Congress party won in 52 Lok Sabha seats, with its allies taking another 91.

Join us as we track the 2024 Lok Sabha election results from all 543 constituencies, providing insights into the emerging trends, and significant wins and losses. Stay tuned for a comprehensive and engaging coverage of the 2024 Lok Sabha election results!