BJP's surprise wins and losses in Lok Sabha polls

These results have shown that Modi has lost all credibility and he should immediately resign, says Mamata Banerjee.

Prime Minister Narendra-Modi led NDA won its third term, but the BJP fell 32 short of the halfway mark of 272 seats in the Lok Sabha. The NDA bagged 293 against the Congress-led INDIA bloc’s 233 seats. The Congress won 99 seats compared to 52 in 2019.

These numbers contrast sharply with 2019 results when the NDA won 353 seats, 303 of which were bagged by the BJP alone.

Moneycontrol tracks some of the biggest surprises and upsets as they unfold.

Surprise gains for BJP

Kerala: The BJP opened its account for the first time in the state with actor-politician Suresh Gopi winning from the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat by more than 72,000 votes. It also witnessed an increase in vote share in the state. In the 2009, 2014 and 2019 elections, the BJP’s seat share was 6.31 per cent, 10.33 per cent and 12.93 per cent respectively. In 2024, the BJP’s vote share stood at 16.67 per cent.

Andhra Pradesh: The BJP formed an alliance with TDP and Telugu actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party. The alliance reaped dividends. The BJP won three of the six seats it contested in with a vote share of 13.07 per cent.

Odisha: The BJP underscored a resounding victory by winning 20 out of 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Not a single BJD candidate won any seat. Meanwhile, the BJP also got a majority in the Odisha Assembly by winning 78 seats in the 147-member House, thereby ending the 24-year-long tenure of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Surprise losses for BJP

Maharashtra: The BJP’s Mahayuti allies won 17 seats out of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state, with the BJP’s tally dwindling by less than half compared to 2019. The BJP had won 23 seats in the 2o19 Lok Sabha polls. Meanwhile, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) won 30 of the 48 seats.

Uttar Pradesh: A state governed by the BJP since 2017, the state sends 80 members to the Lower House. In 2019, the NDA won 64 seats, of which the BJP alone bagged 62. The Congress won only one seat, the BSP won 10 and the SP won five. But the 2024 outcome was different. The SP won 37 seats and the Congress six – totalling 43 for the INDIA alliance. Meanwhile, the BJP won 33 seats in Uttar Pradesh. Its vote share fell to 41.37% from the all-time high of 49.98% in 2019. As many as six ministers, including Smriti Irani and Kaushal Kishore, bit the dust in the state.

West Bengal: The BJP, which had won 18 of the 42 seats in 2019, was eyeing massive gains in the state. However, this time, the ruling Trinamool Congress won 29 seats while the BJP bagged 12. The BJP saw a major setback with its two Union ministers losing their seats — Nisith Pramanik lost to TMC’s Jagadish Prasad Basunia in Cooch Behar, and Subhas Sarkar lost to Arup Chakraborty in Bankura. Former BJP state president Dilip Ghosh lost to former cricketer Kirti Azad. After her victory, CM Mamata Banerjee held a press conference at Kalighat. She demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation. “These results have shown that Modi has lost all credibility and he should immediately resign,” she said.