PM Modi Lost Votes In His 5 Assembly Constituencies; BJP Loses 9 Of 12 Seats In Varanasi Region

Updated: Thursday, June 6, 2024, 15:13 [IST]

Prime Minister Narendra Modi clinched victory in the Varanasi seat for the third consecutive term, triumphing over Congress candidate Ajay Rai.

Modi's victory margin this time stands at 1,52,513 votes, a decrease from his previous wins in 2019 and 2014. In 2019, Modi secured a victory margin of 4,79,505 votes, defeating SP's Shalini Yadav, with Ajay Rai finishing as the runner-up. In 2014, Modi's victory margin was 3,71,784 votes, when he triumphed over AAP's Arvind Kejriwal.

Break Up Of Performance
According to Hindustan Times data, Modi witnessed a decrease in votes across all five assembly constituencies within the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency compared to the 2019 elections, though numbers remained slightly higher than in 2014.

The Varanasi region comprises 12 Lok Sabha seats: Varanasi, Jaunpur, Machhlishahr, Bhadohi, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Robertsganj, Ghazipur, Ghosi, Azamgarh, Lalganj, and Ballia.

The BJP and its ally Apna Dal-Soneylal secured victories in seven seats in 2019. However, they faced losses in Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Ghosi, Lalganj, and Azamgarh. Azamgarh was later reclaimed in a bypoll after SP chief Akhilesh Yadav vacated the seat to contest Assembly elections.

In the 2024 elections, the BJP managed to secure victories in only three seats (Varanasi, Bhadohi and Mirzapur by ally Apna Dal-Soneylal), suffering defeats in Jaunpur, Machhlishahr, Chandauli, Robertsganj, Ghazipur, Ghosi, Lalganj, Azamgarh, and Ballia.

Ayodhya Region
In the Ayodhya region, out of nine Lok Sabha constituencies, the BJP faced defeat in five despite winning seven seats in 2019. Notably, the loss in Faizabad, where the Ram Temple was inaugurated, went to the Samajwadi Party's Awadhesh Prasad Singh. BJP candidate Maneka Gandhi also suffered her first electoral loss to the Samajwadi Party's Ram Bhual Nishad in Sultanpur.

While the BJP lost some key constituencies, it secured victories in others within the Ayodhya region, such as Kaiserganj, Gonda, Domariyaganj, and Bahraich.