The 2024 Lok Sabha elections saw several notable defeats among BJP heavyweights, including Smriti Irani, Arjun Munda, and Ajay Mishra Teni. These losses, particularly in key Hindi heartland constituencies, have prompted the BJP to rely on its NDA allies to form the government. This contrasts with the party’s landslide victories in 2014 and 2019, where it secured 282 and 303 seats respectively, enabling a majority on its own.
The Election Commission of India has declared results for 542 out of the 543 Lok Sabha constituencies. The BJP secured 240 seats, while the Indian National Congress trails with 99.
Key Defeats Include:
Smriti Irani: Notable among the defeats was Smriti Irani’s loss in Amethi to Congress candidate Kishori Lal Sharma by a margin of 1,67,196 votes, marking the end of her tenure in the constituency.
Ajay Mishra Teni: The Union Minister of State for Home Affairs was defeated by Samajwadi Party’s Utkarsh Verma in Lakhimpur Kheri by over 34,329 votes.
Arjun Munda: Facing a significant defeat in Jharkhand’s Khunti constituency, the Union Tribal Affairs Minister lost to Congress candidate Kalicharan Munda by 1,49,675 votes.
Kailash Choudhary: Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Kailash Choudhary, finished third in Rajasthan’s Barmer, trailing by 4.48 lakh votes behind Ummeda Ram Beniwal of the Congress.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar: In Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram, the Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology lost to Congress stalwart Shashi Tharoor by over 16,077 votes.
Other BJP Ministers Facing Defeats:
The BJP also witnessed setbacks among other prominent ministers, including Mahendra Nath Pandey, Kaushal Kishore, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Sanjeev Balyan, Rao Saheb Danve, RK Singh, V Muraleedharan, L Murugan, Subhas Sarkar, and Nishith Pramanik. Their defeats signify a notable shift in electoral dynamics and will likely influence the political landscape in the coming years.
