PM Modi defeated Congress’ Ajay Rai from Varanasi by over 1.5 lakh votes
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Counting of votes for Lok Sabha Elections 2024 is underway and the BJP has won the Varanasi constituency in Uttar Pradesh, PTI reports.
According to the Election Commission of India, PM Modi defeated Congress candidate Ajay Rai by a margin of 1,52,513 votes, news agency reported on Tuesday.
PM Modi got around 6,12,970 votes while Ajay Rai got 4,60,457 votes. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Athar Jamal Lari came third with 33,766 votes.
In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP is leading on 31 seats, while its allies Rashtriya Lok Dal and Apna Dal are leading on two and one seat respectively. It is worth noting that this is much less than the BJP’s 2019 numbers, when it registered a landslide victory by winning 62 out of 80 seats.
India Bloc has recorded a strong performance with the Samajwadi Party and Congress Leading on 38 and 7 seats respectively.
After the defeat, Congress candidate Ajay Rai thanked the people of Kashi for their support and said that PM Modi faced difficulty in winning even by a margin of 1,50,000 votes.
Ajay Rai told ANI, “Everyone is campaigning for him and despite that PM Modi is trailing since last three hours. He faced difficulty in winning even by a margin of 1,50,000. People of Kashi have shown that their support is with his brother (me).”
Meanwhile, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has crossed the majority mark in an early lead and is leading in around 300 seats, while the Bharat Bloc is leading in over 230 seats, defying all predictions.
Most exit polls have predicted a steady victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with some predicting a two-thirds majority for the ruling BJP-led NDA.
Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang congratulated Prime Minister Modi and the BJP. He also assured that the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) extends full support to the NDA.
“Congratulations to Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi Ji and NDA on their remarkable victory in the 18th Lok Sabha elections. Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) party fully supports NDA for the development and prosperity of our country,” Tamang said on Twitter.
SKM won the only Lok Sabha seat in the state.
Earlier on Sunday, Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) registered a landslide victory in the Sikkim Assembly elections.
The SKM won 31 out of 32 seats in the assembly elections in the Himalayan state, while the opposition Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) was restricted to a single seat.
(With ANI inputs)