Lok Sabha Elections / Will PM Modi equal this 'great record' of Nehru tomorrow? All eyes are on him

Lok Sabha Elections: With the counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections starting on Tuesday, June 4, trends will gradually start emerging and by the afternoon it will become almost clear whether the current Prime Minister Narendra Modi will equal the record of the country's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru by coming to power for the third consecutive time or some surprising results will emerge like in 2004, which the opposition 'India' alliance is expecting. Most of the 'exit polls' are confirming that the BJP-led NDA has the upper hand in these elections. Apart from this, some experts also believe that for the ruling alliance, the stake is how it wins and in which new areas it is able to expand its reach, while for the opposition, which is constantly getting weaker on the national horizon, everything is at stake in this election.

Most exit poll predictions after the last phase of voting have shown the NDA alliance close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious target of crossing 400 seats, while the 'India' alliance has been predicted to reach 180 seats. If we look at the past, election decisions have been accepted by all political parties, although never has such serious allegations been leveled against the Election Commission as have been leveled by the opposition parties in this election.

I.N.D.I. Alliance will get 295 seats, Rahul-Kharge claim

However, now only the results will tell whether the Congress, which has been continuously weakening across the country since 2014, has the capacity to challenge the BJP in its organisation and leadership. In two consecutive Lok Sabha elections, it has failed to even get the status of the main opposition party and has been confined to a few states. Party leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and chief campaigner Rahul Gandhi, have claimed that their alliance will get 295 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha and with this the Modi era will end. The leaders of the 'India' alliance claim that their alliance has succeeded in shaping the electoral discourse by keeping public welfare at the center and around the alleged threat to the Constitution and reservation and will get public support.

What happened in the 2004 election?

If the BJP comes to power, Modi will equal the record of the country's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, in which he led his party to three consecutive electoral victories. If he fails, he will lose the record. Opposition parties have often argued in this election that the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections will be on the lines of 2004. In the 2004 elections, under the leadership of then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the BJP gave the slogan of 'feel good factor' and 'India shining' and an atmosphere was created through the propaganda media that it was returning to power, but when the results came, it had to face defeat and the Congress returned to power.

Tough fight between BJD and BJP in Odisha

However, in this Lok Sabha election, there is uncertainty about the future of many regional parties including Trinamool Congress (TMC), Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and YSR Congress, ruling in West Bengal, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, as well as the left parties. Modi has led the BJP's efforts to increase its strength in West Bengal and Odisha and this time it is expected to perform better in both these states. In the 2019 assembly elections, the BJP emerged as the second largest force in Odisha, while this time the exit poll estimates show the BJP at the top in both these states. Assembly elections and Lok Sabha elections have been held simultaneously in Odisha. This time there is a tough competition for power between the BJD, which has been in power in the state since 2000 under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, and the BJP. Along with this, assembly elections have also been held in YSRCP-ruled Andhra Pradesh. In this state, the BJP has formed an alliance with the TDP.

Will the BJP be able to emerge as a strong force in Tamil Nadu and Kerala?

Another issue that has made headlines in this election is whether the BJP will be able to emerge as a strong force in Tamil Nadu and Left-ruled Kerala. It currently has no seats in both these states. This time it has been estimated to win some seats in both these states. Modi, who has always been confident about returning to power, has already written an article about his vision for the country before the results and posted it on 'X'. In this, he has claimed that people have supported the NDA and rejected the opposition. The election results will also decide the fate of regional giants like Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray. There was a split in the parties led by both the leaders and the factions that caused the split joined hands with the BJP. In Maharashtra, both factions of Shiv Sena and NCP had tried their best in this election to get the support of the people.