NEW DELHI: Hailing the Lok Sabha election results in 2024, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday thanked the people of Wayanad and Raebareli for making him win with a huge majority and said that the people have saved the Constitution and democracy in the country. “Thank you very much to the people of Wayanad and Raebareli for giving me immense support and making me win with a huge majority. If it were in my control, I would have liked to remain an MP from both places,” said Rahul Gandhi while addressing a press conference in the national capital on Tuesday. The final count for the Lok Sabha 2024 elections has concluded, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) winning 240 seats, far fewer than had been expected, however, prevailing over the Opposition, Congress, which won 99 seats. “The people of India have saved the Constitution and democracy. The deprived and poor population of the country stood with India to protect their rights. Congratulations to all the alliance partners and the lion-like workers of the Congress party,” said the Congress leader. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has secured a third term, but the BJP will need to rely on the support of other parties in his coalition JD (U) chief Nitish Kumar and TDP’s chief Chandrababu Naidu, falling 32 seats short of the 272 majority mark a stunning blow for the PM, who had hoped for a landslide victory ‘400 paar’. For the first time, since the Bharatiya Janata Party swept to power in 2014, it did not secure a majority on its own far fewer than the record 303 it won in the 2019 election. In the face of the surprising drop in the BJP’s support, the Opposition INDIA bloc claimed they had won a victory of sorts, Congress said that the election had been a “moral and political loss” for PM Modi. “This election results are ‘janta ka result’. This is the victory of people and the democracy. We were saying that the fight is Modi vs the people. In the 18th Lok Sabha election, we humbly accept the result. People have not given a full majority to any party. BJP asked to vote for one person, the mandate has gone against Modi. It is his political and moral loss. The person who sought votes on his name, it’s a huge loss for him,” Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said. Taking to social media platform X, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “This election was a fight to save India’s democracy and constitution. It was a fight against unemployment, inflation and the economic crisis. The great people of the country recognised their issues and supported INDIA alliance. Many congratulations and thanks to all the alliance partners, all the Congress workers and the great people of the country.” Rahul Gandhi won the seat of Raebareli by defeating BJP’s Dinesh Pratap Singh by a margin of 3,90,030 votes. Gandhi had contested this seat aiming to save the lone bastion of the party in the state after he lost Amethi in 2019. The Congress leader also won the seat of Wayanad, which paved his entry to the Lok Sabha in 2019. He defeated Communist Party of India-Marxist candidate Annie Raja by 3,64,422 votes.
