This is part of a series of stories on the 2024 general elections in which the numbers do the talking.
Hyderabad, Kolkata, New Delhi: An analysis of the seats won by both the INDIA bloc and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) shows that the former has performed better than the latter on seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC), while the NDA has outperformed the opposition alliance on both general and Scheduled Tribes (ST) seats.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its NDA allies have won a total of 293 seats, while the INDIA bloc has won 234 seats. The BJP on its own has won 240 seats, while the Congress has won 99.
Of the total 412 general category seats, the NDA has won 227 while the INDIA bloc has won 174. In comparison the INDIA bloc has performed better on SC seats, winning 43 of the total 84 seats and the NDA winning 40. Of the total 47 seats reserved for STs, the NDA has won 26 while the INDIA bloc has won 17.
The remaining seats have been won by others and independents.
Alliance-wise rural-urban performance
A look at the urban-rural performance of the two alliances shows that the INDIA bloc has been able to inch closer to the NDA in rural seats, while the gap has been significantly wider on urban seats.
Of the total 488 rural seats, the NDA has won 254 seats while the INDIA bloc has won 219.
In urban seats, the NDA has won 39 of the total 55 seats while the remaining 15 have been won by the INDIA bloc.
Alliance-wise winning margins
In terms of winning margins, the NDA candidates have wholly outperformed the INDIA bloc in seats won by a margin of more than 25%. Of these 79 seats where the winning margin has been over 25%, the NDA has won 55 while the INDIA bloc has won 24.
The INDIA bloc on the other hand has performed better than the NDA in seats where the winning margin has been between 5-10%. Of these 122 seats, the INDIA bloc has won 62 while the NDA has won 60.
As the winning margin has grown slimmer, the number of seats won by each alliance has also been close.
Of the total 21 constituencies where the winning margin has been less than 1%, the NDA has won 11 and the INDIA bloc has won 10.
Of the total 105 seats, where the winning margin has been between 1-5%, the tally has remained close between the two alliances with the NDA having won 52 of these seats and the INDIA bloc has won 53.
Of the 92 seats where the winning margin has been between 10-15% the NDA has won 51, while the INDIA bloc has won 41.
Of the 63 seats where the winning margin has been between 15-20%, the NDA has won 35 while the INDIA bloc has won 28 seats.
In seats where the winning margin has been between 20-25%, the NDA has won 29 of the 45 seats while the INDIA bloc has won 16.
Overall, the average winning margin of NDA has been 15.18% while that of the INDIA alliance has been 11.63%.
Regionwise alliance performance
While the BJP has made gains in the 2024 elections in southern India, having opened its account in Kerala, overall the INDIA bloc has performed better in the region.
In southern India, the INDIA bloc has won 75 of the total 129 seats, with the NDA winning 49. After putting up a fight in the BJP stronghold of Rajasthan, it has also performed better in the northwestern region winning 15 of the total 30 seats and the NDA winning 12. In the union territories too the INDIA bloc has won four of the total 8 seats and the NDA has won three.
In Central India, where the BJP has retained its seats in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the NDA has outperformed the INDIA alliance winning 48 of the total 54 seats. The INDIA bloc has won only six seats in the region.
In the Himalayan region too, the NDA has performed far better, winning 11 of the total 15 seats and the INDIA bloc winning only two.
In the northeastern region, the two alliances have remained close in the final tally with the NDA winning five of the total 11 seats and the INDIA bloc winning 4.
In northern India, with significant gains in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, the INDIA bloc has won 63 of the total 145 seats while the NDA has won 80.
In western India, though the Congress has opened its account for the first time in decades and outperformed the BJP and its allies in Maharashtra, the NDA has won 42 of the total 74 seats in the region, and the INDIA bloc has won 31.
In eastern India, the NDA has won 43 seats of the total 77 while the INDIA bloc has won 34, most of these seats coming from West Bengal where the TMC alone has won 29 even though it fought the elections in the state on its own while being part of the opposition alliance at the national level.
Visualisation by Soumashree Sarkar.
Text by Sravasti Dasgupta.
