In a major setback for the BJP in the Congress bastion of Raebareli, the party's candidate Dinesh Pratap Singh conceded defeat to Rahul Gandhi as trends showed the latter leading comfortably. In a social media post, Singh sought "forgiveness from the people" if he had erred, saying the "decision was not in our hands" despite efforts. With Gandhi ahead by over 2 lakh votes, Singh thanked BJP workers while gracefully accepting the public mandate. The constituency has long been a Gandhi family stronghold, previously represented by Sonia Gandhi and former PMs. Singh assured continued support to Raebareli's development.

Belying opposition predictions, Nitish Kumar's JD(U) emerged the frontrunner in Bihar, leading in 14 of 16 seats it contested as trends showed the NDA ahead in 36 seats. The JD(U) asserted it will remain with the BJP-led NDA, stating the opposition underestimated Kumar. Despite switching alliances twice recently, Kumar's party outperformed the BJP, which led in 11 seats. The RJD-led Mahagathbandhan of the INDIA bloc lagged at just 6 seats. JD(U) leaders reposed faith in Kumar's decision, saying his supremacy will be respected as he "thinks for Bihar's people." The show defied exit polls predicting an NDA sweep. Copy

In a setback to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for crossing 400 seats, the BJP found itself trailing in 15 of its longstanding strongholds where it had won the last three elections or more. These included Jalna in Maharashtra and Churu in Rajasthan which the party had repeatedly won for 5-7 elections. The upsets came despite the BJP leading in 79 of the 94 seats it had won consecutively earlier and largely retaining most bastions across MP (16), Karnataka (15) and Gujarat (15). However, the chinks in its armor raise questions about the impact of regional dynamics and voter disenchantment in some pockets on its "ab ki baar 400 paar" ambitions as trends showed the NDA at 292 seats so far.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) appeared headed for a simple majority, leading in 293 seats though falling short of a clear majority, while the Congress-led INDIA opposition alliance trailed at 229 seats. Among notable winners were BJP's Amit Shah (Gandhinagar), Kangana Ranaut (Mandi), TMC's Abhishek Banerjee (Diamond Harbour), JDS' H.D. Kumaraswamy (Mandya) and Congress' Charanjit Channi (Jalandhar). Regional parties like BJD, DMK, TDP were poised to play kingmakers. The see-saw battle underscored the tough fight between the two alliances, with voters split on who should lead the nation. All eyes are now on the final tally as the cliffhanger results raise prospects of more alliance realignments.

In Uttar Pradesh's Lok Sabha elections, the NDA and INDIA bloc are locked in an intense battle, as per the latest trends. The NDA, comprising BJP and RLD, is leading in 34 seats, with BJP ahead in 33 and RLD in one. However, the INDIA bloc, consisting of Samajwadi Party and Congress, has taken the lead in 45 seats, with SP leading in 38 and Congress in seven. In a surprising development, Chandrashekhar of the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshiram) is leading in Nagina. As the counting progresses, all eyes are on this nail-biting contest in the politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh.

In a surprising turn, BJP candidate Lallu Singh trails Samajwadi Party’s Awadesh Prasad in Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, by a slim margin of 4,791 votes, defying expectations of a BJP victory in the Ayodhya-Ram Mandir constituency. The INDIA bloc leads BJP in UP, with Congress-led coalition leading in 42 seats and NDA in 37. Despite stalwarts like PM Modi and Rajnath Singh leading in Varanasi and Lucknow, respectively, BJP faces challenges in UP, crucial for its 2019 tally hopes. Notably, Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav and Congress's Rahul Gandhi maintain strong leads in their constituencies.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Congress leads in 7 of Punjab's 13 seats, with AAP securing 3, as per Election Commission trends. The Shiromani Akali Dal has 1 seat, while BJP trails with none. Key leads include Congress's Amrinder Singh Raja Warring in Ludhiana and Sukhjinder Randhawa in Gurdaspur. The multi-cornered fight sees 328 candidates vying for positions, with Congress and AAP as national Opposition partners in the INDIA bloc. In the 2019 elections, Congress won 9 seats, Akali Dal 2, BJP 2, and AAP 1.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress has significantly improved, rising from 52 seats in 2019 to 98. The INDIA alliance, led by Congress, has countered BJP's '400 paar' claim and challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi's electoral stronghold. Despite another term in opposition, this result marks a significant achievement, reducing BJP to under 250 seats and NDA to 297. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge emphasized the moral victory, while analysts note the importance of sustaining the INDIA bloc for future elections. The Congress is poised to secure the Leader of the Opposition post, consolidating its leadership within the alliance.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi maintains a commanding lead in Hyderabad, ahead by 89,796 votes against BJP's Madhavi Latha. The state witnessed a close contest between Congress and BJP, with Congress leading in 9 out of 17 seats and BJP ahead in 7. The Telangana election, held on May 13 with a voter turnout of around 53%, saw significant engagement. Exit polls predicted a strong performance for BJP, estimating 7-10 seats. In 2019, BRS led with 9 seats, followed by BJP with 4, Congress with 3, and AIMIM with 1.

The BJP-led NDA is set to form the government with about 290 seats, despite the BJP falling short of the majority mark with 236 seats. Significant gains in Odisha (17 seats), Telangana (8 seats), and Kerala (2 seats) provided some solace amid unexpected losses in Uttar Pradesh (35 seats), Haryana (4 seats), and Rajasthan (13 seats). The I.N.D.I.A. bloc led in 230 seats, with notable performances by the Congress (99 seats) and Samajwadi Party (34 seats). BJP allies like TDP (16 seats) and JD(U) (14 seats) will play a crucial role in maintaining the majority. The election reflected a return to regular politics, focusing on issues like unemployment and price rise.