The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), an ally of the BJP, managed to secure two seats, and the Apna Dal (Soneylal) (ADAL) and Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) (ASPKR) won one seat each.The INDIA bloc and the BJP-led NDA were engaged in a close contest in Uttar Pradesh, with the state being a crucial battleground for both alliances.
Several high-profile candidates contested the elections in Uttar Pradesh, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who won from the Varanasi constituency with 612,970 votes, defeating the INDIA bloc’s candidate, UP Congress chief Ajay Rai.
However, in a surprising turn of events, Smriti Irani lost the Amethi seat to Congress leader Kishori Lal, despite having wrested the seat from Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 polls.
Lok Sabha Elections
Assembly Elections
Rahul Gandhi, who contested from Rae Bareli for the first time, emerged victorious against BJP leader Dinesh Pratap Singh. The seat has been a stronghold of the Gandhi family, previously held by Sonia Gandhi and Indira Gandhi.
SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav also secured a win in the Kannauj constituency, defeating BJP’s incumbent MP Subrat Pathak.
In Meerut, the BJP fielded Ramayana star Arun Govil, who successfully won the seat against Devvrat Tyagi of the Bahujan Samaj Party and Atul Pradhan of the Samajwadi Party.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also retained his seat in Lucknow, defeating nine other candidates, including Mohammad Sarwar Malik of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
Here is the full list of all winning candidates:
The 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh witnessed a significant shift in political dynamics, with the BJP experiencing its most substantial setback since 2014. Meanwhile, the Congress and Samajwadi Party, both part of the INDIA bloc, emerged as the primary beneficiaries.
Congress secured six seats, while the Samajwadi Party emerged as the biggest gainer, winning 35 seats and garnering around 33% of the vote share, up from 18.11% in 2019. On the other hand, the Mayawati-led BSP suffered a major blow, failing to secure a single seat and reaching its lowest point with a vote share of 9.3%.
The Samajwadi Party spearheaded the INDIA bloc’s impressive performance in UP, winning 37 out of the 62 seats it contested, marking its best-ever showing in a general election in the state. The PDA (Pichda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) formulation played a crucial role in unifying various communities. Notably, the party succeeded in attracting Dalit voters, particularly from the Jatav community, who were previously considered traditional BSP supporters. This newfound “social engineering” strategy proved to be a game-changer for the Samajwadi Party.
The 2024 election results have challenged the long-held belief that Dalits and Yadavs cannot unite in UP. According to caste assessments based on exit polls, the Samajwadi Party secured 65% of the Scheduled Caste votes, a remarkable 21% increase compared to the 2019 polls. Surprisingly, 32% of Jatav votes, traditionally committed to the BSP, went in favor of the Samajwadi Party. This shift in voting patterns indicates a significant change in the political landscape of Uttar Pradesh, with the Samajwadi Party emerging as a formidable force capable of bringing together diverse communities.
Source Agencies
