By Dr. Gyan Pathak
Hindi Belt reins in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, and dashed their hopes of winning 370 seats for the party in the Lok Sabha Election 2024. There are 11 states/UTs in the Hindi Belt – Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand – that has altogether 226 Lok Sabha Constituencies, out of which BJP had won 178 seats (NDA-204) in 2019. However, the loss to BJP and NDA, is a clear signal that PM Modi and the BJP can’t take the people of this country granted, even the people of the Hindi Belt.
The Hindi Heartland state Uttar Pradesh, the largest one in terms of sending the largest number of MPs, has served a clear warning to PM Narendra Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath, that they must restrain themselves in aggressively pursuing the hardcore Communal Hindutva agenda in the country. People simply disliked their approach of governance.
Even inauguration of Ram Temple in Ayodhya failed to create “Ram Wave” in favour of BJP. It did not even work in the Faizabad Lok Sabha Constituency in Uttar Pradesh that houses the Ram Temple. BJP candidate Lallu Singh was even trailing behind SP candidate Awadhesh Prasad by over 13,000 votes in the counting around 2:40 PM on this seat.
PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the Ram Temple on January 22, believing that Lord Ram would do great favour to him. However, a great frustration was awaiting him in the state. INDIA bloc allies SP and Congress performed well across the state. Out of 80 seats in the state, BJP had a target of winning 74 seats for itself, and 4 for its allies. However, the trend emerged during the counting presents a dismal picture. SP was ahead in 35 seats and INC on 7 seats. BJP was leading on only 34 seats while its allies RLD on only 2 and Apna Dal in only 1 seat.BJP had won 62 out of 80, and NDA 64 seats in 2019.
PM Modi is contesting from Varanasi seat of the state. The opposition INDIA bloc candidate Ajai Rai of the INC has given a tough fight which reflects that the PM Modi’s influence among the people are in decline. Rai Bareilly constituency shows its favour for Rahul Gandhi while Amethi shows growing dislike for BJP’s candidate Smriti Irani.
Bihar is the second largest among the five Hindi Heartland states, where the BJP and NDA are set to lose. BJP had won 17 seats and NDA 39 out of 40 in the stare. In 2019 polls. However, the counting trend shows their clear loss. BJP was leading in 12 and its allies JD(U) in 14, and LJP(RV) in five seats. INDIA allies RJD is leading in 4, INC in 2, and CPI(ML) in 2 seats.
BJP had won 11 seats in Jharkhand in 2019. NDA’s score in 2019 from the state was 12 out of 14 seats. However, BJP was leading on only 8 seats by 3:20 PM, and its ally AJSUP on 1 seat. The opposition JMM candidates are leading in 3 and INC on 2 seats.
BJP had won 9 out of 11 seats in Chhattisgarh. This time, BJP is likely to perform better. The counting trend by 3:25 PM showed BJP leading in 10 seats while INC in only one. INC had won 2 seats in 2019.
The counting trend by 3:30 PM shows that BJP may be heading for complete sweep in Madhya Pradesh, another Hindi Heartland state. The party was leading in all 29 seats. It had won 28 out of 29 seats in the 2019. Congress is set to lose even its lone current seat.
BJP is set to lose heavily in another Hindi Heartland state Rajasthan, where it is leading on 14 seats only. NDA had won all 25 seats (BJP 24) in Rajasthan in 2019.Counting trend by 3:30 PM shows INC leading on 8, and its allies in INDIA bloc CPI(M) 1, RLP 1, and BAP 1 seat.
Despite Congress and AAP alliance in Delhi, BJP is set to win all the 7 seats. PM Modi seems to have succeeded in his plan to retain BJP’s all 7 seats won in 2019. AAP supremo and Chief Minister of the state was put behind bar after the announcement of election on money laundering charges. The Supreme Court of India had given Kejriwal interim bail to campaign during election. However, nothing worked for INDIA bloc in Delhi.
BJP is heading for another major lass in Haryana where there are 10Lok Sabha seats, and all of those were won by the BJP in 2019. Counting trend at 3:40 shows that BJP was leading in only 5, while the INC is leading on another 5. There was a seat sharing arrangement between Congress and AAP, both contesting 9 and 1 seat respectively. AAP is set, not only to lose in Delhi, but party’s only candidate in Haryana is also trailing behind BJP.
Chandigarh’s lone seat was won by BJP in 2019, but INC was leading this time at around 3:45 PM during counting.
BJP had won all 4 constituencies in Himachal Pradesh in 2019, and is set to retain all the seats this time also. Similar is the case in Uttarakhand where all 5 constituencies were won by BJP in 2019, and the party is set to retain all, as the counting trend by 3:50 shows.
The Lok Sabha Election 2024 result in the BJP’s citadel states of the Hindi Belt shows that PM Narendra Modi and the BJP needs to tread carefully in the future, and they can’t take Hindu votes granted merely by their communal Hindutva stratagem. BJP’s loss in the Hindi Belt should be a lesson to RSS-BJP clan. (IPA Service)
