Who would've thought that a government coursing through an economy growing at 8.2 percent would have to buckle to an electoral reverse? As capricious as the Indian monsoon, the Indian voter collective has delivered its verdict in Lok Sabha polls 2024, tossing up surprises that have made a laugh riot out of far-off-the-mark exit pollsters. The message: Local livelihood concerns and food inflation are paramount, not communally coded messaging or pan-national issues
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Narendra Modi is felicitated by his aides JP Nadda, Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah during a celebration at BJP HQ in Delhi. Falling short of BJP's magic mark hasn't denied Modi the big seat, set to take over as Prime Minister for the third time in a row. He will not only have to depend on ambitious allies to form the government but also carefully consider their views before making policy decisions.
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Rahul Gandhi (left) and Akhilesh Yadav of Samajwadi Party during a joint rally of the INDIA alliance in Kannauj. Gandhi talked the walk—after his two Bharat Jodo Yatras' emphasis on the concerns of ordinary voters—with a national coalition and plumped for big compromises in seat-sharing. This strategy has helped establish the INDIA bloc as a robust opposition this time.
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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee holds a kid after Eid-ul-Fitr prayers in Kolkata. 'Didi' Banerjee held her ground as her party, TMC in West Bengal—and Samajwadi Party in UP—were powered to wins by the Muslim vote, in coalition with backward castes and Dalits.