The mammoth six-week long 2024 General Election ended with major victory for a variety of candidates across seats. Official results from Election Commission of India on 4th June (Tuesday) indicated that the NDA won 294 seats, more than the 272 required for a majority but significantly less than projected. Indore MP Shankar Lalwani of the BJP won with the largest margin of 11,75,092 receiving 78.54% of the votes cast.
In the Dhubri Lok Sabha seat in Assam, Rakibul Hussain of the Congress came second pocketing 10,12,476 votes i.e., 59.99% . Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan won the Vidisha Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat with 8,21,408 votes, which is equivalent to 76.7% of the votes. In Gujarat’s Navsari Lok Sabha constituency, BJP candidate C R Patil clinched a decisive victory over Congress’ Naishadhbhai Bhupatbhai Desai, passing the electoral test by a substantial margin of 7,73,551 votes.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah secured a landslide victory in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat of Gujarat, leading by 7,44,716 votes against his nearest Congress rival, Sonal Ramanbhai Patel.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee won in West Bengal’s Diamond Harbour by a significant margin of 7,10,930 votes. In Tripura, the BJP won both Lok Sabha seats for the second consecutive time, with former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb securing a record 8,81,341 votes. Hemang Yogeshchandra Joshi of the BJP emerged victorious in Vadodara, while Brijmohan Agrawal secured a clear win in Raipur.
Lastly, Congress party’s Sasikanth Senthil clinched a clear and comfortable victory in the Tiruvallur Lok Sabha constituency, securing a total of 5,72,155 votes. From the above figures of record margins of the candidates, it is evident that the contestants are not from a single region of India. That is indeed reflective of the fact that the world’s largest democracy has triumphed once again.
Who says one vote doesn’t matter!
The recent elections in India showcased several intensely competitive races, where even a handful of votes made a crucial difference. In Mumbai North West, Ravindra Dattaram Waikar of the Shiv Sena won over Amol Gajanan Kirtikar of the SS (UBT) by mere 48 votes, highlighting fierce competition with a margin of just 0.01%.
Similarly, in Kerala’s Attingal constituency, Advocate Adoor Prakash of the Congress defeated V Joy of the CPM by 684 votes, underscoring the importance of every single vote. In Odisha’s Jajpur (SC) constituency, BJP’s Rabindra Narayan Behera narrowly overcame Sarmistha Sethi of the BJD by 1,587 votes. Rajasthan’s Jaipur Rural constituency saw BJP’s Rao Rajendra Singh winning by 1,615 votes against Congress’ Anil Chopra, illustrating the tight political competition.
In Chhattisgarh’s Kanker (ST) constituency, BJP’s Bhojraj Nag won against Congress’s Biresh Thakur by 1,884 votes, reflecting the region’s diverse political preferences.
In Chandigarh, Congress candidate Manish Tewari edged out BJP’s Sanjay Tandon by 2,504 votes in a keenly contested urban constituency.
In Uttar Pradesh’s Hamirpur, SP’s Ajendra Singh Lodhi narrowly defeated BJP’s Kunwar Pushpendra Singh Chandel by 2,629 votes, indicating a shift in the political landscape. Mohammed Hamdullah Sayeed of the Congress won in Lakshadweep (ST) by a margin of 2,647 votes over the NCP(SP) candidate, highlighting the unique socio-political dynamics of the island constituency.
BJP’s Mukesh Rajput won in Uttar Pradesh’s Farrukhabad by 2,678 votes against SP’s Dr. Naval Kishor Shakya, demonstrating the competitive nature of regional politics. Similarly, in Uttar Pradesh’s Bansgaon (SC), BJP’s Kamlesh Paswan secured victory over Congress’s Sadal Prasad by 3,150 votes, reflecting the diverse political preferences within the constituency.
These elections highlight the critical importance of each vote, showing how even the smallest margins can determine the outcome. They emphasize the need for active voter participation to ensure every voice is heard in the political process.
BY Aayushi Dogra and Ishtiaq Ahmed
(Aayushi Dogra and Ishtiaq Ahmed are interns at PIB, Jammu)