According to the exit poll results of Lok Sabha elections 2024, the BJP-led NDA can cross the 400 seat mark this time. Axis My India has predicted that the NDA will get 361-401 seats in its exit poll. So according to Today’s Chanakya, the BJP-led NDA can get 385-415 seats. CNX’s Exit Poll result also claims that the NDA will get 371-401 seats.
Party that won 400+ seats
If we look at the electoral history of India, there has been only one occasion when a political party has crossed the 400-seat mark. In the 1984 Lok Sabha elections held after the assassination of Indira Gandhi, Congress created a record by winning 415 seats. In that election, Congress had won almost half of the total votes. Since then, no party has ever been able to touch the 400 mark.
After independence, when the first Lok Sabha elections were held in 1951-52, there was a wave in favour of Congress across the country. Despite this, the party managed to win only 364 seats. In the Lok Sabha elections of 1957, 1962 and 1971, Congress kept crossing the 300-seat mark. However, it did not reach 400. When elections were held in 1977 after the Emergency, Congress faced its worst phase. The party contested on 492 seats but was reduced to 154 seats. However, in the very next Lok Sabha elections (1980), the party again won 353 seats.
How Congress did the miracle
Then came the 1984 Lok Sabha elections. On 31 October 1984, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her bodyguards. After this, her son Rajiv Gandhi was hastily made the interim Prime Minister. During this time, the Lok Sabha elections were held. After Indira’s assassination, there was a wave of sympathy for the Congress across the country. The party left no stone unturned to capitalize on this. In that election, the Congress made a record and won 415 out of 541 seats.
Vote share record too
In 1984, Congress not only won a record number of seats, but also set a new record in terms of vote share. In that election, Congress alone got 48.12% votes. Earlier, Congress had got 47.78 percent vote share in 1957. Since 1984, no party has been able to cross the 400 seat mark nor has it achieved more than 40% vote share. In 1989, Congress did reach close to 39.53%. BJP came to power in 2014. Despite the Modi wave, BJP got 37.7% votes in 2019.
Also read: Who is the BDJS party that is showing BJP’s strong entry in Kerala, what will happen to Shashi Tharoor?
The days of Congress are not back again
In 1984, Congress won record number of seats, but the government remained in trouble for almost the entire tenure. Rajiv Gandhi was the target of the opposition due to Shah Bano case, opening of Babri Masjid and Bofors scam. In 1989, Congress lost power and a coalition government was formed under the leadership of Janata Dal. After this, Congress came to power but it did not get majority on its own. In 1991, Congress got 244 seats. In 2004, 145 and in 2009, 206.
Tags: 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, Exit poll, Indira Gandhi
FIRST PUBLISHED : June 2, 2024, 15:08 IST