As polling concluded in 88 seats across 12 states on Friday, political observers have been attempting to gauge the mood of voters, noting a decrease in turnout compared to the last election data in the first two phases.
The decrease in turnout has been interpreted differently by political rivals. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has claimed that the first two phases have been in favor of the NDA. Conversely, the opposition party Congress has stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's target of '400 paar' (400-plus seats) has faced a setback after the conclusion of two phases of the ongoing Lok Sabha election.
On Friday evening, PM Modi, taking to X, wrote, "Phase Two has been too good!"
Expressing gratitude toward voters he wrote, "The unparalleled support for NDA is going to disappoint the Opposition even more. Voters want NDA’s good governance. Youth and women voters are powering the strong NDA support."
Modi's '400 paar' hype has been crushed to the ground: Congress
In contrast to PM Modi's claim, Congress leader KC Venugopal while addressing a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram said, "PM Narendra Modi's '400 paar' hype has been crushed to the ground after the first and second phase of elections. INDIA alliance is definitely going to win this time. PM Modi's speech during the campaign has been an attempt to polarise the elections. Congress is very confident about winning with a high majority in Rajasthan, Bihar, and other states."
According to a report by the Indian Express, the provisional figures released at Election Commission show that the second phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha election, held on Friday, recorded a voter turnout of 64.02%. In 2019, the turnout for 85 out of 88 seats that went to polls on Friday was 69.64%.
In 2019, the turnout in 85 of the 88 seats that went to polls on Friday was 69.64%.
The voter turnout during the first phase of the ongoing election was 62.34%, which is lower than the 69.43% recorded in the first phase of the 2019 election.
Voting for the 20 constituencies in Kerala was held in a single phase on Friday. The voting percentage in the state was recorded at 70.21%.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) won 19 out of 20 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Kerala. While the Congress won 15 seats, its allies Indian Union Muslim League, won two seats, the Revolutionary Socialist Party won one, and the Kerala Congress (M) won one seat. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) won only one seat.
