BJP Eyes Over 450 Lok Sabha Seats in 2024, Aiming to Surpass 2019’s 303 Wins

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is planning to contest over 450 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, in a bid to increase its tally from the 2019 polls, when it won 303 seats out of 542. The party is confident of its performance in the recent state elections and the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is expected to lead the party for a third consecutive term.

BJP’s Performance in 2019

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP contested 436 seats, won 303 seats and secured 22.9 crore votes with a 37.7 per cent vote share. The party became the single largest party in the House and surpassed expectations to win a clear majority. The party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won a total of 353 seats with a combined vote share of 45 per cent.

The BJP was able to gain 21 seats in the House, having won 282 in the 2014 Indian general election. It was the second time in India’s independent history that voters re-elected the same party to power with a bigger majority to the Lok Sabha – India’s lower house of parliament.

Reasons attributed to the victory included the personal popularity of Narendra Modi, effective voter turnout drives by the NDA, a surge in public nationalism following the Pulwama attack, the consolidation of Hindu voters in a multi-caste coalition and the successful implementation of social welfare programmes during the First Modi ministry’s term.

BJP’s Strategy for 2024

The BJP is aiming to expand its presence and influence in states where it has a limited or no representation, such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The party is also looking to consolidate its position in states where it is already dominant, such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka.

The party is relying on its organisational strength, ideological appeal, social media outreach and development agenda to attract new voters and retain existing ones. The party is also focusing on strengthening its alliances with regional parties and creating new ones where necessary.

The party is confident of Modi’s leadership and charisma, which it believes will help it overcome any anti-incumbency or dissatisfaction among the voters. The party is also banking on its performance in handling the Covid-19 pandemic, boosting the economy, implementing reforms and delivering on its promises.

The party is hoping to achieve its target of over 450 seats by increasing its vote share by at least 10 per cent from the last elections.