Prime Minister Narendra Modi is poised for a third term, with the NDA nearing the 300-seat mark. However, the day also highlighted a resurgent Opposition, surpassing the modest expectations of exit polls.

The BJP, which aimed for 370 seats and set a 400-plus target for the NDA, appears to be falling short, particularly in Uttar Pradesh—the BJP leads in 241 seats, with the NDA at 296. The INDIA bloc was ahead in 228 seats, and Congress in 100.

Uttar Pradesh, a key battleground with 80 Lok Sabha seats, saw the INDIA bloc, including the Samajwadi Party and Congress, leading in over 40 seats, while the BJP trailed in the mid-thirties. This contrasts sharply with the BJP's dominance in 2014 and 2019. Exit polls had given the BJP an edge, but the results tell a different story.

Other battleground states also posed challenges for the BJP. In Bengal, where the party hoped for gains, it led in only 11 seats by 3 pm, with Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress ahead in 31. In Maharashtra, political shifts within the Shiv Sena and the NCP led to fragmented results. The Uddhav Thackeray faction led in 11 seats, Shinde Sena in 5, Ajit Pawar’s NCP in 1, and Sharad Pawar's faction in 7. The BJP and Congress were close, with 12 and 11 seats, respectively.

Despite setbacks, the BJP found support in Odisha, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and to some extent, Telangana. In Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu led a landslide victory, with a clear lead in 158 of 175 constituencies, with an oath ceremony slated for June 9. In Odisha, the BJP aimed to end Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal’s 25-year rule.

While the BJP's robust campaign emphasized development and achievements like the scrapping of Article 370 and the Ayodhya Ram temple construction, the Opposition's improved cohesion and impactful narrative on constitutional changes and reservation played a significant role. Voting for 543 Lok Sabha seats concluded over seven phases, with the majority mark at 272.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is poised for a third term, with the NDA nearing the 300-seat mark. However, the day also highlighted a resurgent Opposition, surpassing the modest expectations of exit polls.

The BJP, which aimed for 370 seats and set a 400-plus target for the NDA, appears to be falling short, particularly in Uttar Pradesh—the BJP leads in 241 seats, with the NDA at 296. The INDIA bloc was ahead in 228 seats, and Congress in 100.

Uttar Pradesh, a key battleground with 80 Lok Sabha seats, saw the INDIA bloc, including the Samajwadi Party and Congress, leading in over 40 seats, while the BJP trailed in the mid-thirties. This contrasts sharply with the BJP's dominance in 2014 and 2019. Exit polls had given the BJP an edge, but the results tell a different story.

Other battleground states also posed challenges for the BJP. In Bengal, where the party hoped for gains, it led in only 11 seats by 3 pm, with Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress ahead in 31. In Maharashtra, political shifts within the Shiv Sena and the NCP led to fragmented results. The Uddhav Thackeray faction led in 11 seats, Shinde Sena in 5, Ajit Pawar’s NCP in 1, and Sharad Pawar's faction in 7. The BJP and Congress were close, with 12 and 11 seats, respectively.

Despite setbacks, the BJP found support in Odisha, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and to some extent, Telangana. In Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu led a landslide victory, with a clear lead in 158 of 175 constituencies, with an oath ceremony slated for June 9. In Odisha, the BJP aimed to end Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal’s 25-year rule.

While the BJP's robust campaign emphasized development and achievements like the scrapping of Article 370 and the Ayodhya Ram temple construction, the Opposition's improved cohesion and impactful narrative on constitutional changes and reservation played a significant role. Voting for 543 Lok Sabha seats concluded over seven phases, with the majority mark at 272.