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The <keyword id="19895876" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Election-Commission-of-India" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Election Commission of India" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Election Commission of India">Election Commission of India</keyword> (ECI) has officially announced the schedules for the upcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, setting the stage for crucial state elections next month. Here’s what voters in these states can expect: <h2>Maharashtra: Single-phase voting on November 20</h2>Maharashtra will head to the polls in a single phase on November 20, with vote counting scheduled for November 23. This election will see a high-stakes contest between two major coalitions: the <keyword id="19924537" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Maha-Vikas-Aghadi" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Maha Vikas Aghadi" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Maha Vikas Aghadi">Maha Vikas Aghadi</keyword> (MVA) and the <keyword id="21555670" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Maha-Yuti-Alliance" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Maha Yuti Alliance" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Maha Yuti Alliance">Maha Yuti Alliance</keyword>. The MVA consists of <keyword id="19905331" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uddhav-Thackeray" source="keywords">Uddhav Thackeray</keyword>'s Shiv Sena (UBT), the <keyword id="19895371" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Congress" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Congress" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Congress">Congress</keyword>, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) under Sharad Pawar. Meanwhile, the Maha Yuti Alliance brings together the <keyword id="19931558" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharatiya-Janata-Party" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Bharatiya Janata Party" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Bharatiya Janata Party">Bharatiya Janata Party</keyword> (BJP), Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, and the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP. This intense battle for control over the 288-seat Maharashtra Assembly follows the end of the current term on November 26. The model code of conduct has come into immediate effect in Maharashtra, guiding political parties on appropriate campaigning practices and ensuring fair elections. <h2>Jharkhand: Two-phase voting on November 13 and 20</h2>In Jharkhand, voting will occur in two phases: the first on November 13 and the second on November 20. The results will be declared on November 23, alongside Maharashtra’s. This election focuses on the 81-seat Assembly, with a fierce competition expected between the ruling <keyword id="20028356" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jharkhand-Mukti-Morcha" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Jharkhand Mukti Morcha" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Jharkhand Mukti Morcha">Jharkhand Mukti Morcha</keyword> (JMM)-Congress alliance and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which includes the BJP, All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), and Janata Dal (United). Jharkhand’s current Assembly term expires on January 5, 2025. The elections will feature 29,562 polling stations across urban and rural areas to accommodate the state’s 2.6 crore registered voters. This diverse electorate includes 66.84 lakh young voters and 11.84 lakh first-time voters, with special arrangements for 3.67 lakh persons with disabilities. <h2>Pre-election preparations</h2>The ECI’s preparations for the elections began in September, with teams visiting both states to assess readiness. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, alongside Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, met with local officials, district collectors, and political representatives to evaluate logistical arrangements and security measures. In Maharashtra, the Maha Yuti Alliance and the MVA have been ramping up their efforts to secure <keyword id="23060079" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="voter-support" source="keywords">voter support</keyword> in what is expected to be a dramatic electoral showdown. In Jharkhand, the ruling JMM, which is part of the INDIA bloc, is eyeing another term despite recent controversies surrounding Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who faced legal challenges earlier this year. The JMM-Congress-RJD alliance remains strong, as the party is expected to contest all 81 seats in the Assembly. (With inputs from agencies)

ECI Announces election schedules for Maharashtra and Jharkhand; both states to vote in November

New Delhi [India], May 16 (ANI): <keyword id="9766785" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Lok-Sabha-elections-2024" source="Orion">Lok Sabha elections 2024</keyword> have seen a <keyword id="20108198" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="voter-turnout" source="keywords">voter turnout</keyword> at polling stations of about 66.95 per cent so far, as approximately 451 million people have voted during the first four phases of ongoing general elections. In a bid to encourage voters to exercise their franchise in large numbers, ECI has enhanced its targeted interventions to reach out to every eligible voter. The Commission led by CEC Rajiv Kumar along with ECs Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, further directed CEOs of the states going to poll in the fifth, sixth and seventh phases to timely distribute voter information slips to all electors and enhance outreach activities. "Commission strongly believes that partnership and collaboration are essential pillars of the voter awareness programme. It's heartening to see that, at the Commission's request, different institutions, influencers and celebrities with significant reach are working enthusiastically on a pro-bono basis," Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said. Further, he added that a higher voter turnout would be a message from Indian voters to the world, about the strength of Indian Democracy. He urges all the voters to cast their vote in huge numbers, as voting day is not a holiday but a day of pride, by participating in the festival of democracy. According to an official release, various <keyword id="21686177" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="voter-awareness-drives" source="keywords">voter awareness drives</keyword> and campaigns have been carried out by stakeholders in collaboration with ECI. Telecom Service Providers such as Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, Bharti Airtel Limited, Jio Telecommunication, and Vodafone-Idea Limited are reaching out to every mobile user in the respective parliamentary constituency through push SMS/Flash SMSs, outbound dialling calls to mobile users, RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging and WhatsApp messages/alerts. These activities are carried out two/three days before the poll and even on the poll day, in regional languages, with an appeal to vote. ECI has collaborated with BCCI for voter awareness activities during the ongoing IPL season. The voter awareness messages and songs are being played at different stadiums during the cricket matches. The most innovative aspect of this campaign is the administration of voter's pledges by cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in a pre-recorded video message, at various IPL venues. Further, voter awareness messages are integrated into cricket commentary. Cricketers from 10 IPL teams have encouraged voters to participate in the <keyword id="19895394" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lok-sabha" source="keywords">Lok Sabha</keyword> elections in 2024 with their recorded voter awareness messages. A voting day alert was sent to all Facebook users pan India to inform and inform the voters about the general elections and to nudge them to participate in the festival of democracy, the release mentioned. The release further stated that WhatsApp personalised messages have begun on polling day. Google India is contributing through its iconic feature of Google Doodle on poll days and banners appearing on YouTube, Google Pat and other Google platforms. The Retail Association of India has been actively engaging with voter awareness activities, through their retail network, whereby retail chains are encouraged to celebrate the election as a festival. The vast network of post offices and banking institutions was utilised by ECI to reach out to a wide and diverse audience across the length and breadth of the country. In collaboration with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the parliamentary elections campaign logo "Chunav ka Parv, Desh ka Garv" has been integrated with the IRCTC portal and tickets. Voter awareness announcements have been integrated with the public address system at all railway stations. The logo stickers are used on coaches of the superfast trains. In collaboration with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, hoardings on voter awareness have been installed in about 16,000 retail outlets. In collaboration with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, airlines are making an inflight announcement with an appeal message to participate in the ensuing elections. Voter guides are being kept in aircraft seat pockets. Apart from this, many airports are providing space for the display of voter awareness messages. Selfie points have been installed at airports in 10 major cities viz. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Patna, Chandigarh, and Pune. Cinema theatres across the country are playing ECI voter awareness films and ECI Song Main Bharat Hoon, Hum Bharat Ke Matdata Hai, at regular intervals, as a part of the Public Service Awareness (PSA) film. Sansad TV is creating short films on Unique Polling Stations set up in remote corners of the country by the election machinery after navigating difficult terrains to demonstrate the challenges in ensuring voting at the last mile. AMUL, Mother Dairy and other milk co-operatives have started branding their milk pouches with the message 'Chunav Ka Parv, Desh ka Garv' and encouraging voters through social media platforms. AMUL is also encouraging voters with its unique messaging through AMUL Girl Topical advertisements in newspapers. Prasar Bharati: Doordarshan has produced, various short films, including appeals from constitutional functionaries like President of India, Vice President of India, and Chief Justice of India, among others. Further, unique polling stations are being covered by the regional Kendra's audio-visual documentation. Music App Spotify is running a campaign called 'Play Your Part', and they have issued print advertisements, and curated the playlists for the elections, on their app. Payments app PhonePe has integrated voter awareness message into their app and is actively encouraging voters. BookMyShow has launched an integrated campaign, titled "Aaj Picture Nahi, Bigger Picture Dekho," to raise awareness among voters. MakeMyTrip is running a campaign titled 'MyVoteWalaTrip', whereby discounts are offered to citizens going to vote. Food delivery platforms such as Zomato and Swiggy are disseminating voter awareness messages through their platforms and social media activities. Grocery App Blinkit changed its logo to "Inkit" for the elections, incorporating a message encouraging people to "Go out and Vote" as a tagline. Uber India is reaching out to voters through multi-channel messaging (in-app, emails, push notifications), offering discounts for rides to polling stations, and amplifying voter awareness messages on social media platforms. Bike app Rapido has been encouraging voters with a free ride to vote. Urban Company has launched 'I Have Voted Campaign' to encourage voters. Tata Neu app, serving as the Tata Group's group-wide consumer-facing mobile app, prominently features the "Cast Your Vote" animated banner on its homepage, with additional initiatives currently underway. Truecaller is enhancing its layout by displaying voter awareness message during outbound calls Some other independent initiatives are Mankind Pharma #VotingVirgin campaign, clothing brand Neeru's "Vote ki Taiyaari" TVC, Tinder's "Every Single Vote Counts" campaign, creatively curated social media post by Matrimonial sites like Jeevansathi.com, etc and discounts for voting by popular brands such as Shoppers' Stop, MakeMyTrip, Chroma and many more. Four phases of Lok Sabha polls have been held and the voting will conclude on June 1 with results on June 4. The remaining phases will be held on May 20, May 25, and June 1.

451 million voters! First four phases of Lok Sabha elections witness 66.95% voter turnout so far

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Pandemic-fueled inflation seems to be spurring voters to kick out leaders.</li><li>Incumbent governments have been punished in Britain, France, India, Japan, South Korea, and elsewhere.</li></ul>From London to Tokyo, Seoul to Cape Town, 2024 has been a year of sharp election swings. Now you can add Washington D.C. to the list.Donald Trump soundly beat Democrat VP Kamala Harris in the US election, faring better than in 2020 in virtually every part of the country and with nearly all demographic groups. The near-universal shift away from Democrats echoes voters' <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/voters-world-elections-against-ruling-parties-analysis-2024-7">rejection of incumbent political parties</a> across the world this year.The US vice president's late substitution for Biden as the Democratic candidate, and her decision to embrace his policies instead of distancing herself from them, meant she <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harris-lost-biden-unpopularity-trump-election-2024-11">effectively ran as an incumbent</a>.In contrast, Trump's defeat in the 2020 presidential election race enabled him to run as a "change candidate" this cycle and promise to disrupt the status quo.<h2 id="4f519aa6-7d08-4663-8d7f-8e62f03fcb58">Voter backlash</h2>Analysts have <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-election-win-analysis-harris-immigration-abortion-economy-musk-2024-11">proposed many theories</a> as to why Harris lost, ranging from her gender and race, to her failure to reach out to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/election-musk-cuban-trump-meme-stocks-gamestop-dogecoin-crypto-markets-2024-11">young men</a>, to her support of Israel's war with Gaza, to her campaign focusing too much on reproductive rights and preserving democracy and too little on immigration and the economy.But from a global perspective, it's little surprise she lost given how many incumbent governments on both the right and the left have received a drubbing this year. Here are just a few of them:<ul><li>Britain's Labour Party <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uk-labour-party-back-in-power-rishi-sunak-concede-defeat-2024-7">ousted</a> the Conservative Party, or Tories, this summer.</li><li>France's National Rally party <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/france-elections-far-right-macron-le-pen-bardella-2024-6">secured</a> more seats in the country's assembly than in 2022.</li><li>Japan's Liberal Democratic Party <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/japan-prime-minister-shigeru-ishiba-shake-up-us-military-pact-2024-9">ceded</a> its parliamentary majority this fall.</li><li>Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/indian-election-results-shocking-blow-narendra-modi-2024-6">lost</a> his majority against expectations, forcing him to form a coalition government.</li><li>South Korea's Democrat Party snagged a majority in the country's legislature.</li><li>South Africa's African National Congress (ANC) party lost its majority.</li></ul>Moreover, the incumbent US party has now lost three consecutive presidential elections for the first time in more than a century, Jim Reid, a research strategist at Deutsche Bank, said in a note this week.<h2 id="0e2b6ba9-92e6-4498-aadc-0fbc022d984f">Paying the price</h2><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/investing/what-is-inflation">Inflation</a> has been a key driver of the voter backlash. Prices of food, fuel, housing, and other essentials took off during the pandemic as governments spent heavily and lockdowns snarled global supply chains. In the US, inflation hit a 40-year high of more than 9% in early 2022 and was still above the Federal Reserve's 2% target this September."Trump's victory is the most powerful example this year of a political and economic environment that has been brutal for incumbents around the world and brought home the fact that inflation is political kryptonite," Tina Fordham, an independent strategist and advisor, said in a LinkedIn post this week.A key consequence of inflation has been central banks raising <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/banking/what-is-interest">interest rates</a> to curb spending, hiring, and investing, cooling price growth. The Fed raised its benchmark rate from nearly zero to north of 5% in under 18 months, raising many people's monthly payments on their credit cards, car loans, and mortgages.The central bank made its first cut this September and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/federal-reserve-cuts-interest-rates-quarter-point-powell-inflation-election-2024-11">trimmed</a> a second time this week, broadly in line with peers such as the Bank of England and the European Central Bank.Surging prices and steeper interest rates has <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/big-short-michael-burry-jpmorgan-consumer-inflation-rates-banking-crisis-2023-4">squeezed households</a> in the US and many other countries. Voters appear to be fed up with onerous living costs and eager to kick out the leaders they blame for their struggles.Other issues, such as illegal immigration and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, have also spurred votes for change.<h2 id="508f4884-4bdf-4651-b7a6-4bb22f9f0fde">Demanding change</h2>In the US, those concerns are so powerful that they've trumped the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/economic-outlook-pandemic-stock-market-crash-inflation-recession-rates-ai-2024-2">economic reality</a> of resilient growth, historically low unemployment, declining inflation, falling rates, and a record stock market. In a CNN exit poll, 72% of Americans said they were dissatisfied with the country's direction.Louis Perron, a political consultant author of "Beat the Incumbent: Proven Strategies and Tactics to Win Elections," said in a note this week that elections featuring an incumbent are "foremost a referendum on the incumbent."In Harris' case, he said "it would have probably taken a miracle to overcome the circumstances with respect to inflation and the border."People "can't pay for groceries with Democracy or reproductive rights," he added. "If the mood of the electorate is so sour, people just want to stop the bleeding."Similarly, Deutsche Bank's Reid wrote that voters are disappointed by how slowly their lives are improving amid cooler economic growth.He said they don't buy that incumbents can tackle immigration, some incumbent governments have had scandals, and voters have become "much more willing to change their vote from election to election."

Voters worldwide are angry about higher prices and keep punishing those in power

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="15219879" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="JPMorgan-CEO" source="Orion">JPMorgan CEO</keyword> <keyword id="20214240" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jamie-Dimon" source="keywords">Jamie Dimon</keyword> in April said Narendra <keyword id="19899684" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Modi" source="keywords">Modi</keyword> had done "an unbelievable job" leading India.</li><li>But effusive praise from <keyword id="22000749" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="business-titans" source="keywords">business titans</keyword> didn't persuade voters to give Modi the victory he wanted.</li><li>Modi will now have to govern with allies, and the surprise result hit the Indian stock market.</li></ul>In a major upset, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/indian-election-results-shocking-blow-narendra-modi-2024-6" target="_blank">lost his absolute majority in parliament</a> on Tuesday. But, back when most expected Modi to cruise to a third big election victory, Western business titans lined up to praise him for transforming what is set to become the world's third-largest economy by 2027. His pro-growth, pro-business policies have been a huge draw for tech giants like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-tim-cook-obsessed-india-consumers-iphone-2023-7" target="_blank">Apple</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-would-spur-growth-in-india-ev-market-rival-says-2024-4" target="_blank">Tesla</a>, both of which have signaled intentions to expand operations there. In April, <keyword id="19967624" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="JPMorgan" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="JPMorgan" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="JPMorgan">JPMorgan</keyword> CEO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jamie-dimon-career" target="_blank">Jamie Dimon</a> effusively praised the Indian leader during an event at The Economic Club of New York. "Modi has done an unbelievable job in India. I know the liberal press here, they beat the hell out of him," Dimon said. "He's taken 400 million people out of poverty." Dimon also said he thought US officials needed to stop "lecturing" Modi on how to run India and instead start taking lessons from the world's most populous democracy. "They've got an unbelievable education system. Unbelievable infrastructure. They're lifting up that whole country because this one man is tough," Dimon said. "He's breaking down some of the bureaucracy," he added. "And we need a little bit more of that here." Representatives for Dimon didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the election result sent outside regular business hours. Dimon isn't alone. <a href="https://x.com/tim_cook/status/1648684750029340673" target="_blank">Apple CEO Tim Cook met Modi in April of last year</a>, saying the company shared his "vision of the positive impact technology can make on India's future." "India is an incredibly exciting market. It's a major focus for us," Cook said in a November <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2023-05-05/tim-cook-india-is-an-incredibly-exciting-market-video" target="_blank">earnings call</a>. "I was just there and the dynamism in the market, the vibrancy is unbelievable." Without an absolute majority, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/narendra-modi-win-bjp-india-election-explained-2024-6" target="_blank">Modi will rely on the support of smaller parties, who could oust him if they switch allegiance</a>. News of the shrinking majority hit the Indian stock market on Tuesday — it <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/etf/indian-stocks-tumble-the-most-since-march-2020-with-modi-s-party-set-to-lose-majority-1033450216" target="_blank">registered its most significant daily drop</a> since March 2020. However, experts say the electoral surprise is unlikely to unravel his past reforms. "This surprise creates political and policy uncertainties that will have at least short-term consequences," said <a href="https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/experts-react-modi-loses-ground-electoral-surprise/" target="_blank">Jeff Lande</a>, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center. "A reversal of the sort of investments and capital expenditure that the government has advanced in recent years, in favor of a return to subsidies, protectionism, and welfare programs, is unlikely," he continued. It is true that his decadelong reign as India's prime minister has coincided with a decline in the country's poverty levels: Figures from the <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-of-population-in-extreme-poverty?tab=chart&amp;country=~IND" target="_blank">World Bank</a> indicate the share of its population living in extreme poverty dropped to 12.9% in 2021 from 18.8% in 2014. Some of Modi's critics, however, may argue that his track record in economic policymaking has been uneven. In October, India's unemployment rate hit 10.1%, per the <a href="https://www.cmie.com/kommon/bin/sr.php?kall=warticle&amp;dt=20231103192154&amp;msec=053" target="_blank">Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy</a>. That is the first time the country's jobless rate has exceeded 10% since the COVID-19 pandemic. "Growth has been good, but it has to be set in perspective," Raghuram Rajan, a former governor of the Reserve Bank of India, told the <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/8299d318-7c35-49a0-9a9a-b8e5abeba7be" target="_blank">Financial Times</a> in January.

Business titans like Jamie Dimon think Modi is great for India. It didn't convince voters.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>People around the world are choosing to vote against the establishment.</li><li>And this anti-incumbent trend is bad news for President Joe Biden. </li></ul>It's a bad time to be an incumbent.From the UK to India, France to the US, voters are taking to the polls and making their voices clear through sweeping and shocking swings of political power.Though some say right-wing movements are on the rise globally, in this year's elections, that's not universally the case. Some left-leaning parties are beating out those on the right, and vice versa.With the cost of living and inflation rising and less social mobility following the COVID-19 pandemic, voters are taking their anger out on their country's leaders."I think inflation is probably the elephant in the room here," Brian Greenhill, a professor at SUNY Albany and political scientist who studies international institutions and globalization, told Business Insider.<div type="image" title="Protesters holding up signs with messages such as: &quot;I'm a climate voter,&quot; &quot;Restore nature now,&quot; and &quot;Make Tory MPs a rare species on 4th July for all our sakes.&quot;" height="3924" width="5300" msid="111487406" hostid="261"></div>In short, voters are just fed up — no matter who's in charge."I do think there are other longer-term structural issues too that are perhaps fueling this kind of anti-incumbent, but also more generally antiestablishment, trend," Greenhill said.<h2 id="596cd259-b78a-47da-abdd-3c37561388cb">Voters want a chance</h2>Globally, it's not hard to see an antiestablishment, anti-incumbency trend playing out.<ul><li>Polling shows that in the UK's election on Thursday, the Labour opposition party, led by Keir Starmer, is poised to unseat the 14-year rule of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/labour-ahead-conservatives-before-uks-july-4-election-polls-show-2024-07-01/">Reuters</a> reported.</li><li>In France, support for President Emmanuel Macron's centrist government collapsed as far-left and far-right parties gained a higher percentage of votes this week in the first round of the country's two-round election process.</li><li>In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's long-dominant party <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/indian-election-results-shocking-blow-narendra-modi-2024-6">failed to win an outright parliamentary majority</a> in last month's election, while the more democratically-minded opposition party gained steam.</li><li>In South Africa's election last month, the African National Congress party lost its outright majority for the first time in 30 years, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.npr.org/2024/06/01/nx-s1-4987616/south-africa-election-results">NPR</a> reported.</li><li>And in South Korea, President Yoon Suk Yeol's ruling conservative party suffered losses to the liberal opposition in April's parliamentary election, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korea-opposition-wins-landslide-parliamentary-vote-resounding-blow-yoon-2024-04-10/">Reuters</a> reported.</li></ul>The list of global incumbent losses goes on — and that's not even mentioning the United States, where incumbent <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-trump-debates-polling-harris-election-2024-7">President Joe Biden is trailing behind Donald Trump</a> in national polling ahead of the November election.<div type="image" title="A child waving a French flag among a crowd of protesters, with people climbing a graffitied monument in the background." height="4000" width="6000" msid="111487412" hostid="261"></div>"There's a lot of dissatisfaction with the way democracy is working," Richard Wike, the director of Pew Research Center's global attitudes research, said on <a target="_blank" href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/3xt5bXWg8350STWNNNYoLK?si=ba357653f447427b">FiveThirtyEight's politics podcast</a> in June.A <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/06/18/satisfaction-with-democracy-has-declined-in-recent-years-in-high-income-nations/">spring 2024 poll from Pew Research Center</a> found that just 36% of people in 12 countries — the US, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, South Korea, Greece, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden — were satisfied with the way their country's democracy was working. And that's down from 49% in 2021."This dissatisfaction is a bit of a global trend in many countries," Wike added on FiveThirtyEight's podcast.Greenhill said one of the biggest issues driving the surge in antiestablishment populist movements was rising income equality, which, though largely stemming from the 2008 financial crisis, was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.<div type="image" title="A wall covered in graffiti, including the words &quot;eat the rich.&quot;" height="3415" width="5123" msid="111487409" hostid="261"></div>Another factor, Greenhill added, was the worsening political polarization driven by social-media echo chambers and dubious online news consumption.In the US, incumbents have historically fared better than their opponents.Between 1936 and 2012, 11 out of 14 presidents won their reelection races, but the tide appears to be shifting, as <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" href="https://time.com/6549871/2024-presidential-elections-incumbency/">Time</a> reported.Greenhill pointed out that anti-incumbency frustrations tend to come and go but that the growing populist, antiestablishment movement we're seeing now is "at least in modern political history, somewhat new.""The fact that Trump right now — after everything that's happened after January 6th and his felony convictions and his multiple criminal indictments — the fact that he's still leading in the polls shows that there's still a huge kind of reservoir of support for this kind of 'burn the house down' kind of approach to politics," Greenhill said.And if the goal is burning down the house, Americans may be ready to light the match. So-called "double haters" — voters who dislike both Trump and Biden — have made up an influential chunk of the electorate in recent polls.Reports say the dissatisfaction with Biden after his <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-happened-biden-trump-debate-takeaways-2024-6">disastrous debate performance</a> last week is so strong <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-allies-bidens-debate-performance-reaction-donald-trump-2024-6">globally</a> and even <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-loyalists-say-step-down-after-trump-debate-2024-6">among his own supporters</a> that it's led the president himself to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-considers-dropping-out-after-debate-sources-2024-7">question whether he can turn it all around</a>.If Biden does decide to step aside, it would present a unique situation: Who would voters choose when no direct incumbent is running in an anti-incumbent environment?America may end up being the testing ground for that experiment.

Forget right or left. Voters are sick of whoever's in charge. 

Actor-turned-politician <keyword id="20008310" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Suresh-Gopi" source="keywords">Suresh Gopi</keyword> who is poised for a <keyword id="21145935" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="historic-win" source="keywords">historic win</keyword> in the parliamentary seat of <keyword id="19977207" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Thrissur" source="keywords">Thrissur</keyword> said he is "ecstatic" about the <keyword id="19894848" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP" source="keywords">BJP</keyword> breaching the bastion in <keyword id="19896018" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kerala" source="keywords">Kerala</keyword> according to trends announced by the Election Commission on Tuesday in the counting of votes in the 2024 <keyword id="19895394" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lok-Sabha" source="keywords">Lok Sabha</keyword> elections. "What was very impossible became gloriously possible," said the actor who contested from the seat for the second time after losing in the last general elections in 2019. Gopi said he "bowed down to" the "truly <keyword id="21934911" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="secular-voters" source="keywords">secular voters</keyword>" of Thrissur, adding that there were attempts to "corrupt" the voters' mind away from the BJP but the Gods "led them in the correct path". "Attempts were made to mislead the voters but God led them on the correct path to accept my party through me ...even if some of you feel that this is a miracle, this miracle was imminent...The victory is due to people's blessings. I bow down to the truly secular voters of Thrissur who made this victory possible," the actor said. He further said that "...Narendra Modi is my political God. ..I am not believing in just a manifesto...I will work for the whole Kerala...I will work as Kerala MP..." The 65-year-old actor said, " I am in totally an ecstatic mood. What was very impossible became gloriously possible...it was not a 62-day campaign process, it was an emotional carriage for the past 7 years...I work for Kerala as a whole. My first pick will be to have AIIMS..." Gopi also credited his victory to the BJP workers who worked in his election campaign. "I also credit my party workers who worked in more than a thousand booths in the constituency. A lot of mothers and sisters from other districts and states also worked for me. Many of them came from Mumbai, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. Their effort made a positive impact," he said. Suresh Gopi was leading with 400706 votes in the Thrissur constituency with a margin of 73091 votes over <keyword id="21934912" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="v-s-sunil" source="keywords">V S Sunil</keyword> Kumar of the CPI and <keyword id="19895371" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Congress" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Congress" meta.hostid="83" meta.entityid="Congress">Congress</keyword>' Muraleedharan of the Congress who polled 319560 votes as per data on the poll body's website at 2 pm. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was leading by 3,28,460 votes in Wayanad constituency over his nearest rival CPI's Annie Raja, as per Election Commission data. Congress sitting MP Shashi Tharoor took a lead over BJP's Rajeev Chandrasekhar in Thiruvananthapuram with 325896 votes and CPI's Pannian Raveendran in third spot, data by EC said. Congress' KC Venugopal was leading with 364811 votes against nearest rival AM Ariff of the CPI (M) while BJP's <keyword id="21418632" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sobha-surendran" source="keywords">Sobha Surendran</keyword> trailed in the third place. The polling in Kerala was held in single phase on April 26. The voter turnout was recorded at 71.27 per cent. Out of the total 2,77,49,158 voters in Kerala, a total of 1,97,77,478 exercised their franchise. In the 2019 General Elections, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the BJP failed to open its account in the southern state. In its attempt to garner votes in Kerala, the BJP focussed on the Christian community in the state which accounts for 18.38 per cent of the total population. Meanwhile, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the BJP crossed the majority mark in early leads and the INDIA bloc above 200, defying all exit poll predictions. The BJP is currently leading on 240 seats, as per the latest trends by the ECI. The Lok Sabha elections were held across the country in seven phases from April 19 to June 1. (ANI)

"Miracle was imminent", says Suresh Gopi after BJP's historic Lok Sabha victory in Kerala

The tallies for each constituency are in, and the arithmetic for the next government is being worked out. If the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (<keyword id="19894848" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP" source="keywords">BJP</keyword>) manages to hold onto their alliances, the stage will be set for Modi 3.0. However, if the Congress-led INDIA bloc somehow lures major parties like JD(U) and TDP, they might have a chance, though it is a long shot at the moment. However, with the results out for all 543 constituencies, much has been revealed about the general attitude of the country’s voters. For instance, despite the almost-unshakable belief that the BJP will sweep almost all 80 <keyword id="19894922" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uttar-Pradesh" source="keywords">Uttar Pradesh</keyword> seats — especially after the Ram Mandir inauguration — the party shockingly only managed to win only 33. Some experts speculate that this outcome came from the party failing to address core issues such as employment and economic anxiety, and instead choosing to focus on religious divide to win ballots. Expert institutions, such as Bernstein and Citi Research, have now noted that new spendings may now thus become focused on the poor, women, farmers and rural areas, especially considering how rapidly BJP’s <a href="https://bfsi.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/bias-of-markets-expected-rural-agriculture-to-be-the-new-focus-areas-reports/110728041">vote share has dropped in the rural seats</a>. For context, rural constituencies make up 60% of the total constituencies in India, according to The Economic Times. However, this is not to say that the party has clear favourites among the more developed and richer states either. Many of the richest Indian states have expressed mixed to lukewarm reactions towards BJP this election cycle, and even delivered unexpected shockers. For instance, the NDA lost a lot of ground in Uttar Pradesh, <keyword id="19897316" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Maharashtra" source="keywords">Maharashtra</keyword> and Rajasthan — some states with the biggest economies in the country. As for the current scenario, the party favourite remains mixed. Considering that the country has delayed the National Survey by four years, we have to rely on independent sources to come up with more current state-wide economic statistics. Therefore, as per the India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra), <keyword id="19896017" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Karnataka" source="keywords">Karnataka</keyword>, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat formed the five largest state economies in India in the 2023 Financial Year. Let’s take a look at how India’s wealthiest states voted in <keyword id="20886626" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lok-Sabha-2024" source="keywords">Lok Sabha 2024</keyword>. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Karnataka" comment="subhead" text="Karnataka">Karnataka</cmsannotation> Despite struggles with making headway in the South, the BJP had made a clean sweep in Karnataka, bagging 25 seats in the 2019 general elections. While the BJP-JD(S) alliance has managed to retain a majority in the southern state with 17 seats, <keyword id="19895371" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Congress" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Congress" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Congress">Congress</keyword> made an impressive comeback this year, winning 9 seats compared to the 1 in the last election cycle. JD(S) managed to capture the remaining two seats. As for the four Bengaluru constituencies, BJP managed to cling onto all of them as well, with Tejasvi Surya in Bengaluru South, Shobha Karandlaje in Bengaluru North, P. C. Mohan in Bengaluru Central and C. N. Manjunath in Bengaluru Rural. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Uttar Pradesh" comment="subhead" text="Uttar Pradesh">Uttar Pradesh</cmsannotation> As mentioned earlier, the biggest controversies came out of Uttar Pradesh. Housing prominent figures such as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the state has been widely considered as a stronghold for the saffron party, who had won a whopping 62 seats in 2019. However, resident voters were determined to take to the booths to voice their dissent this year. Of the 80 UP constituencies — by far the state with the largest number of seats — 37 were won by the Samajwadi Party. Meanwhile, the BJP held onto 33 seats, and the INC 6. The difference is stark: BJP lost 27 of the seats it won in the previous election cycle. Many prominent figures were dethroned this year, including Smriti Irani in Amethi, Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra in Kheri and Maneka Gandhi in Sultanpur. However, perhaps the biggest shocker came from the fact that the BJP also lost the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat, which housed the contentious Ram Temple. Awadesh Prasad of the Samajwadi Party will be chairing the constituency for the next five years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, contested for the Varanasi seat, beating INC’s Ajay Rai by a margin of 2.5 lakh votes. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Maharashtra" comment="subhead" text="Maharashtra">Maharashtra</cmsannotation> Another of the biggest losses for the BJP also saw a resurgence for Congress in the state with the highest <keyword id="35050" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gdp" source="Orion">GDP</keyword>. While the NDA had clinched 41 out of the 48 seats in the previous 2019 elections, it managed to bag a paltry 9 this time around. While this is a monumental loss for the ruling party, they managed to hold firmly onto most of the coastal Konkan belt. Headed by the Mahayuti alliance, the BJP won 7 of the 12 coastal seats, including in Palghar, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg and Mumbai North. Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena (UBT) maintained its hold on half of the six Mumbai constituencies. Of the four Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) seats, NCP (SP) won Bhiwandi, Shinde-led Shiv Sena won Thane and Kalyan and BJP won Palghar. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Tamil Nadu" comment="subhead" text="Tamil Nadu">Tamil Nadu</cmsannotation> Of all the economic powerhouses, Tamil Nadu was the only state untouched by the BJP this year. Out of the 39 seats in the state, the MK Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) came out victorious in 22, the INC won 9, while a coalition of other parties bagged the remaining seats. This was a massive win for the DMK, especially considering the two major opposition parties, the AIADMK and BJP, had come together to contest this year. Considered by many as BJP's most promising candidate, K Annamalai, too lost to DMK’s Ganapathi P Rajkumar in Coimbatore. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Gujarat" comment="subhead" text="Gujarat">Gujarat</cmsannotation> While most of the other states endured major plot-twists, the story has remained almost the same for Narendra Modi’s home state, Gujarat. As per final polls, the BJP won 25 of the total 26 seats in the state, falling short of a full clean sweep due to INC clutching the final one. However, the INC win in the Banaskantha Lok Sabha seat was no small victory, considering this was the first time in a decade that the party had made ground in the western state. Meanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah contested and won from state capital Gandhinagar by a massive margin of nearly 7.5 lakh votes.

Lok Sabha 2024: How BJP, Congress and other parties have performed in states with largest economies in India

Laapata Ladies, Bridgerton and Heeramandi might have dominated the OTT cycle last month, but none of these dramas can hold a candle to the absolute thriller that unfolded during the Lok Sabha election cycle this year. While the parties scramble to decide their allegiances, most people are already convinced about a result familiar to the previous two general elections: <keyword id="20509939" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Modi-3-0" source="keywords">Modi 3.0</keyword>. However, the road to the end has proven anything but a bed of lotuses for the Bharatiya Janata Party (<keyword id="19894848" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP" source="keywords">BJP</keyword>). Despite staunch optimism of winning 400 out of 543 seats, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (<keyword id="19938590" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NDA" source="keywords">NDA</keyword>) managed to capture only 293 — a margin barely above the 272 seats majority, and dozens below their 2014 and 2019 standings. Then came the fact that the BJP, with only 240 seats won, would have to be supported by two major partner parties: the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Janata Dal (United), if they wished to finalise a majority and form the next Lok Sabha. This meant that the ball currently remains in the courts of these two quintessential “Kingmakers”; will they keep their pre-poll promises to ensure the continuity of Mr Modi, or usurp him by joining the opposition <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="INDIA" source="keywords">INDIA</keyword> bloc? This mystery may linger not just this week, but throughout the term of the next government given the fickle nature of the Indian political system. As we move into the final few legs of this political marathon, the story has only taken a turn for the juicier. According to media reports, INDIA has now offered the position of Deputy Prime Minister to JD(U) Nitish Kumar and a special status to Andhra Pradesh (with TDP majority) if the parties align with the alliance and forsake their NDA partnership. If they agree, the INDIA-TDP-JD(U) coalition could overthrow BJP-NDA to form the government, making for the biggest <keyword id="21945335" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="political-plot-twist" source="keywords">political plot twist</keyword> in decades. While we wait for the historical gavel to drop, let’s take a look back at the other bombshells to have come out of the tallying process so far. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="BJP falls short of majority" comment="subhead" text="BJP falls short of majority">BJP falls short of majority</cmsannotation> Despite battle cries of ‘Abki baar 400 par’, the Modi-led party has failed to cross the required 272 seats necessary for a clear majority and stands far below their performances in 2014 and 2019. They are no longer self-sufficient enough to make a third term without the support from allies. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="BJP loses ground in Hindi Heartland" comment="subhead" text="BJP loses ground in Hindi Heartland">BJP loses ground in Hindi Heartland</cmsannotation> The northern states, which constitute a large section of the Hindi-speaking population, have been considered BJP’s biggest loyalists. Despite this, the party has faced unexpected stiff competition in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chandigarh and Haryana. These are crucial states for the BJP, as they hold a large number of seats and losing a majority of these seats has weakened their moral position. While some blame the loss on the anger of dominant castes in the region, others say that the party ignored these stronghold regions in pursuit of expansion to the east and south. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="NDA wins below 300 seats, far below landslide 400 predictions" comment="subhead" text="NDA wins below 300 seats, far below landslide 400 predictions">NDA wins below 300 seats, far below landslide 400 predictions</cmsannotation> Not only has BJP itself been unable to capture the required majority, their NDA coalition hasn’t even touched 300 Lok Sabha seats. This indicates a significant loss of public support compared to predictions. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="BJP loses Ram Temple Constituency" comment="subhead" text="BJP loses Ram Temple Constituency">BJP loses <keyword id="41267" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ram-temple" source="Orion">Ram Temple</keyword> Constituency</cmsannotation> Construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya has been one of BJP’s most prominent election promises in the past two elections. Despite delivering on this front, the party has lost the Faizabad seat to Samajwadi Party candidate Awadhesh Prasad. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Lotus blooms down south" comment="subhead" text="Lotus blooms down south">Lotus blooms down south</cmsannotation> BJP opened its account for the first time in Kerala with a win for actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi at the Thrissur seat. In Telangana, both BJP and Congress put up a strong performance by winning eight seats each and sidelining the regional parties. However, for the BJP, Tamil Nadu was a disappointment as it failed to win even one seat despite immense push from all quarters. The party did manage to increase the vote share to double digits despite a lack of support from the regional parties. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="BJP wins all Delhi seats" comment="subhead" text="BJP wins all Delhi seats">BJP wins all Delhi seats</cmsannotation> Making a hat-trick, the BJP won all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi for the third time, beating the Congress-AAP alliance. <h3>Individual/Regional Politics</h3><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Rahul Gandhi wins two seats" comment="subhead" text="Rahul Gandhi wins two seats">Rahul Gandhi wins two seats</cmsannotation> After a risky contest for two seats in Kerala’s Wayanad and Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli, the Congress leader has won both by a massive margin. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Kangana Ranaut wins Himachal seat" comment="subhead" text="Kangana Ranaut wins Himachal seat"><keyword id="10343350" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kangana-ranaut-wins" source="Orion">Kangana Ranaut wins</keyword> Himachal seat</cmsannotation> The celebrity candidate’s debut resulted in a strong win for the Mandi seat for BJP. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Smriti Irani loses" comment="subhead" text="Smriti Irani loses">Smriti Irani loses</cmsannotation> Despite high expectations, Smriti Irani loses the Amethi seat by a large margin to Congress’ Kishori Lal Sharma. This is a high-profile defeat for a key BJP figure. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Shashi Tharoor faces a brief hiccup" comment="subhead" text="Shashi Tharoor faces a brief hiccup">Shashi Tharoor faces a brief hiccup</cmsannotation> Earlier trends had briefly indicated trouble for the recurrent Thiruvananthapuram MP. However, the tides turned quickly, handing Tharoor the win over Rajeev Chandrasekhar. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Former cricketer Yusuf Pathan wins" comment="subhead" text="Former cricketer Yusuf Pathan wins">Former cricketer Yusuf Pathan wins</cmsannotation> Stepping up to politics for the first time, cricketer turned politician Yusuf Pathan won West Bengal’s Baharampur seat for the Trinamool Congress. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Jailed pro-Khalistani candidate victorious in Punjab" comment="subhead" text="Jailed pro-Khalistani candidate victorious in Punjab">Jailed pro-Khalistani candidate victorious in Punjab</cmsannotation> Amritpal Singh, a notable Khalistan supporter and independent candidate clinched the Khadoor Sahib seat from jail in Punjab. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Sexual assault-accused Prajwal Revanna pulls considerable vote share" comment="subhead" text="Sexual assault-accused Prajwal Revanna pulls considerable vote share">Sexual assault-accused Prajwal Revanna pulls considerable vote share</cmsannotation> Despite a final win by Congress candidate Shreyas M. Patel in Karnataka’s Hassan constituency, JD(U)’s Prajwal Revanna garnered 46.5% of the total votes. This has occurred despite being in police custody and having a massive sexual assault case lodged against the candidate. <h3>Other notable events</h3><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Indore sets record for highest NOTA voters" comment="subhead" text="Indore sets record for highest NOTA voters">Indore sets record for highest NOTA voters</cmsannotation> Controversy had earlier erupted in Indore after Congress candidate Akshya Kanti Bam deferred to BJP shortly before the voting process had begun. In response, over 2 lakh voters placed their bets on ‘None of the Above’, expressing dissatisfaction with the choices presented to them. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Stock market falls by COVID-19 levels" comment="subhead" text="Stock market falls by COVID-19 levels">Stock market falls by COVID-19 levels</cmsannotation> Anticipating an easy win and stable third term for Modi, the Indian stock surged right before the election. However, government uncertainty later on spurred the Nifty and BSE Sensex indices to crash by as much as 8.5%.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Biggest shockers to come out of the thrilling election results

The <keyword id="20288056" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP-led-NDA" source="keywords">BJP-led NDA</keyword> on Tuesday surged ahead with leads in more than 200 <keyword id="21073505" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="parliamentary-seats" source="keywords">parliamentary seats</keyword> out of 350 for which trends were available, with opposition <keyword id="19895684" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="INDIA-bloc" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="INDIA bloc" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="INDIA bloc">INDIA bloc</keyword> ahead in 120, according to television reports. India Today gave leads in 205 seats to the NDA, while the INDIA bloc was ahead in 129; ABP News gave 230 to the NDA and 120 to the opposition alliance; and NDTV showed NDA leading in 194 seats with INDIA bloc closing in on 135 seats. Counting of votes for the <keyword id="56978" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lok-Sabha-elections" source="Orion">Lok Sabha elections</keyword> has begun across states and Union Territories, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar told PTI. According to the Conduct of Election Rules, postal ballots were taken up for counting first and the process of counting of votes recorded in electronic voting machines (EVMs) began 30 minutes later. The process of counting votes cast through postal ballots and EVMs will continue simultaneously. <div type="javascript" title="Custom" contenttype="Infographic"><cdata><![CDATA[]]></cdata></div> While the Lok Sabha has 543 members, counting is being held for 542 seats after the BJP's Surat candidate Mukesh Dalal was elected unopposed. Counting of votes is also underway for the assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, where polling was held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections. Elections to the assemblies of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim were also held alongside the Lok Sabha polls. The results of these elections were declared on June 2. Since 2019, VVPAT (voter verifiable paper audit trail) slips from five randomly selected polling stations per assembly constituency -- or segment in case of Lok Sabha seats -- are matched with the EVM count for greater transparency.

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ECI Announces election schedules for Maharashtra and Jharkhand; both states to vote in November

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"Miracle was imminent", says Suresh Gopi after BJP's historic Lok Sabha victory in Kerala

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