- Gandhi says he trusted people to give the right answer
- “Congress leader wins both UP and Kerala seats in stunning comeback”.
- Modi fails to achieve landslide victory in 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
As vote counting for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections moves towards completion, India's main opposition leader and Congress member Rahul Gandhi has said Indians have unanimously decided they don't want Narendra Modi, of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who is the country's current prime minister.
The poll result disappointed the BJP, which appears to fall below the majority of 272 votes, even though the ruling alliance is ready to form the government, according to Indian Times.
Meanwhile, the Congress, which suffered successive defeats in the last two Lok Sabha elections, seems set to cross the 100-seat mark. This resurgence signals a possible resurgence of the party after a period of electoral setbacks.
Referring to Modi's failure to achieve a landslide victory, Gandhi, who won seats in Uttar Pradesh and Kerala in a stunning comeback, said on Tuesday that the people had collectively punished the right-wing nationalist politician.
It is worth noting that both arch-rivals have been re-elected as Members of Parliament, as confirmed by the Election Commission of India.
“I was confident that the people of this country would give the right response,” the 53-year-old Gandhi family scion said at a news conference after election commission figures showed the government was projected to return with a small majority.
He said that they had fought in these elections against the entire state machinery. It was not just a fight against a political force, but a fight to protect the country's Constitution, the judiciary and the ED, as these institutions “have been captured by Narendra Modi and Amit Shah”.
Raising a copy of the Constitution in his hand, Gandhi said: “The fight was to save the Constitution…we were sure that the citizens of India would try to protect it and I would like to thank everyone.”
Gandhi lashed out at the ruling party for breaking political parties, imprisoning chief ministers and using all possible tactics against the Congress.
He said the election results were a clear message from the people to Modi: “we don't want you.”
Gandhi said that the country's most disadvantaged citizens had made most of the efforts to save the Constitution.
When asked about forming an alliance, the politician said that they had not yet made a decision on the future, but that it would be made after consulting with allies. He also said they had not decided whether to form a government or sit on the opposition benches.
The Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP) have formed the INDIA bloc and have made a remarkable comeback by taking the lead over the BJP-led NDA in Uttar Pradesh.
After the seven phases of polls for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections ended on June 1, exit polls had painted a positive picture for the BJP-led NDA government, predicting a remarkable third term. for Prime Minister Modi.
Additional information from AFP
