Seat tally of BJP has temperiorily declined to 303 from peak 338. Congress party’s tally is up to 52 from the low of 38. Yet, BJP is way ahead of the majority mark of 272. Low voter turnout compared to 2019, a key reason for disappointment
India is conducting its national elections in seven phases between April 19 to June 1 and the final results for polling on 543 seats across the country will be declared on June 4. In the first phase, polling took place for 102 seats which included 39 seats of Tamil Nadu, 5 seats in Uttarakhand and 12 seats (out of 25) in Rajasthan. As per the bookies, the key reason for a decline in BJP’s projected seats tally was low voter turnout in the first phase. According to bookies, a higher voter turnout meant that more number of Modi supporters were coming out to vote.
Tamil Nadu saw its voting percentage decline roughly by 3 percent to 69.46 percent from 72.44 percent. Voting percentage in Uttarakhand fell by six percentage to 55.89 percent from 61.88 percent during the last election in 2019. In Rajasthan too the decline in voter turnout was over six percentage points – to 57.65 percent from 64 percent. The only seat in Bastar in Chhattisgarh state that went to polls last Friday saw turnout rise a little over 1 percent to 67.53 percent from 66.26 percent. For the first time, polling was held in 56 villages of Basta, a naxalite area affected by Left wing extremism. Turnout in Meghalaya’s two seats also rose to 74 percent from 71 percent.
Bookies are of the view that the seat tally for the BJP is likely to rise in the coming days as the likes of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and the rest of the Rajastahan, where the BJP and PM Modi has a huge fan following, go to polls. In the South Indian states, which are mainly attracted to left wing politics, the BJP has a lower voter base. For instance, even if the BJP manages to win just around 7 to 10 seats, it would be a major victory for the party and would mean it had gained acceptance among the left wing people too. Like the Republicans in the US, the BJP is perceived as right wing and the Congress is India’s Democrat or left leaning Centrist party.
