India: NDA wins 291 seats; set to form government, INDIA bloc 230

India: NDA wins 291 seats; set to form government, INDIA bloc 230
New Delhi: The BJP has consolidated its lead winning 240 of the Lok Sabha’s 543 seats and the ruling NDA combine has won 291 in the final Election Commission tally published on Wednesday morning.

Past the majority mark of 272 in the House, the NDA is set to form the next government at the Centre. The opposition INDIA bloc is meanwhile at 230 seats with all eyes on the evening meeting of the parties at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.

The NDA side stacks up as follows — BJP 240, TDP 16, JDU 12, Shiv Sena Shinde 7, LJP (Ram Vilas) 5, Janata Dal (Secular) 2, RLD 2, AGP, RSP, Apna Dal Soneylal, All India Jharkhand Students Union, NCP, HAM and SKM at one each.

The Congress has emerged as the single largest opposition party with 99 wins against 44 in 2014 and 52 in 2019. The INDIA bloc figures are — Congress 99, SP 37, TMC 29, DMK 22, Shiv Sena Uddhav 9, NCP Sharadchandra Pawar 8, RJD 4, CPM, 4, IUML 3, AAP 3, JMM 3, CPIML 2, CPI 2, JKNC 2, RLP, BAP, VCK one each.

Nineteen MPs of other non-affiliated parties have won. The Congress for its part could not cross the 100 seat mark in the Lok Sabha.

The BJP, attacking the Congress over anti-Modi remarks for the saffron forces falling short of a simple majority on their own, said the Congress had won just 145 seats in 2004 and 206 in 2009 and had on both occasions gone ahead to form the government.

“The BJP, after two terms, has won 240 seats on its own. Let that sink in,” BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya said.