Congress regains ground in key states

Neeraj Mohan

New Delhi, June 4

The Congress has staged a significant comeback in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, reclaiming the lost ground in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, and retaining Punjab, effectively curbing the BJP’s previously unchallenged majority.

Big gains in UP, Rajasthan & Punjab

• In UP, the Congress won six of the 17 seats it contested. Rahul Gandhi reclaimed the family bastion of Rae Bareli and KL Sharma triumphed over BJP’s Smriti Irani in Amethi, the seat Rahul lost in 2019
• In Rajasthan, the Congress won eight out of 25 seats. In Haryana, it won five seats with 43.69 per cent vote share. In Punjab, the Congress emerged as the largest party by winning seven of 13 seats
• Besides, the Congress made inroads into BJP strongholds in Gujarat and Goa, winning one seat each

In Uttar Pradesh, considered the gateway to Delhi’s power corridors and has 80 seats, the Congress with ally Samajwadi Party secured six of the 17 seats it contested. The alliance saw the SP winning a record 37 seats. Rahul Gandhi reclaimed the family bastion of Rae Bareli and Kishori Lal Sharma triumphed over Union Minister Smriti Irani in Amethi, the seat Rahul lost in 2019. Also, the Congress won seats in Barabanki, Allahabad, Amroha, Saharanpur and Sitapur, marking a significant improvement from its previous performance, garnering 9.65 per cent of the vote share.

POLL SNIPPETS

BJP gets maiden ls seat in Kerala

Thrissur: Ending its over-seven-decades-long political drought in Kerala, the BJP on Tuesday finally opened its account in the state through actor-turned politician Suresh Gopi, who cemented his historic victory with a win of over 74,686 votes in the Thrissur Lok Sabha segment. Gopi defeated CPI leader VS Sunilkumar in an exciting fight. While Gopi garnered a total of 4,12,338 votes, Sunilkumar had to make do with 3,37,652 votes.

90% Delhi candidates lose security deposits

New Delhi: As many as 148 out of 162 (91 per cent) candidates on Delhi’s seven seats have lost their security deposits in the Lok Sabha elections, according to the Election Commission. In Chandani Chowk 23, New Delhi 15, South Delhi 20, East Delhi 18, West Delhi 22, North East Delhi 26 and North West Delhi 24 candidates forfeited their deposit. The BJP has made a clean sweep in all seven seats in Delhi.

In Mumbai NW, win margin just 48 votes!

Mumbai: Shiv Sena candidate Ravindra Waikar on Tuesday won the Mumbai North West Lok Sabha seat by just 48 votes, the smallest margin in Maharashtra. Waikar bagged 4,52,644 votes, while his nearest rival, Amol Kirtikar of the Shiv Sena (UBT), got 4,52,596 votes in what was a nail-biting finish after a see-saw battle between the two candidates. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said he suspects there was something “fishy”.

Rajasthan saw the Congress winning eight out of 25 seats, with its alliance partners capturing all three seats they contested. The Congress, which faced defeat in last year’s Assembly election in Rajasthan, secured 37.91 per cent of the votes by winning in key Jat-dominated constituencies such as Barmer, Bharatpur, Churu, and Sikar. This marks a notable recovery from the previous LS elections when the party failed to win any seat in the state.

In Haryana, where the Assembly elections are due later this year, the Congress won five Lok Sabha seats, achieving a 43.69 per cent vote share. Congress’ Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Hooda retained Rohtak with a significant margin of over three lakh votes, while Kumari Selja won in Sirsa. The Congress also secured victories in Ambala, Hisar, and Sonepat.

Similarly, in Punjab, despite a slight decline in its vote share, the Congress emerged as the largest party, winning seven out of 13 seats – Jalandhar, Patiala, Ludhiana, Gurdaspur, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ferozepur and Amritsar. The party’s vote share stood at 26.30 per cent, slightly ahead of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party’s 26.05 per cent.

Even, the Congress also retained the Chandigarh constituency as its candidate Manish Tewari defeated Sanjay Tandon of the BJP, helping the party to win the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana after two consecutive terms.

Additionally, the Congress made inroads into the BJP strongholds in Gujarat and Goa, winning one seat in each state. Geniben Nagaji Thakor won in Banaskantha, Gujarat, and Capt Viriato Fernandes triumphed in South Goa.

However, in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, the BJP made a clean sweep. This election marks a significant resurgence for the Congress in several key states, posing a robust challenge to the BJP’s dominance ahead of future electoral battles.