India saw the crowning achievement of its democratic process from April 19 to June 1, when voters nationwide chose MPs for the 18th Lok Sabha. The results were released today, June 4, signalling a pivotal point in the political history of the nation.
Millions of people cast ballots in the seven stages of the election, influencing the course of the country.
There were some noteworthy wins and losses for the main contenders.
Kangana Ranaut won the BJP’s seat in the Mandi constituency in Himachal Pradesh, and Narendra Modi easily retained his seat in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
Representing the INC, Rahul Gandhi emerged successful in both Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh, and Wayanad, Kerala.
Another feather in the BJP’s hat was added when Amit Shah won from Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party from Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh, and Shashi Tharoor of the INC trailing from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, were two more notable winners.
Both candidates, Jyotiraditya Scindia in Guna, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajnath Singh in Uttar Pradesh, won their seats for the BJP. Sarbananda Sonowal, who was standing in for the BJP, won from Dibrugarh, Assam.
Furthermore, Abhishek Banerjee of the TMC won from Diamond Harbour in West Bengal, and Tejasvi Surya of the BJP won from Bangalore South in Karnataka. Kanimozi of the DMK won in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, while Supriya Sule of the NCP won in Baramati, Maharashtra. Asaduddin Owaisi of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, for AIMIM and won.
The BJP’s Karan Bhushan Singh won in Kaiserganj, Uttar Pradesh, while the Trinamool Congress’ Mahua Moitra secured in Krishnanagar, West Bengal.
However, A. Annamalai was defeated in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, while Kanhaiya Kumar lost in North East Delhi.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan, of BJP in Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh, while Abdul Rashid Sheikh’s victory in Baramulla forced Omar Abdullah to concede.
However, there were some notable defeats. Smriti Irani of the BJP lost in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, while Prajwal Revanna a rape accused of the JDS lost in Hassan, Karnataka and Adhir Choudhury of the INC lost in Berhampore, West Bengal.
As the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) takes the lead in the election results, all stakeholders in Indian democracy should pause and ponder. The people’s mandate is clear, and it is now up to the elected representatives to carry out the faith put in them by the population.
The 18th Lok Sabha reflects the aspirations and expectations of a billion Indians, and we hope that elected leaders work relentlessly to address the nation’s pressing concerns while upholding democratic and governance values.
