UP Lok Sabha Election Results 2024 Highlights: INDIA bloc wins 43 seats, Akhilesh Yadav's SP emerges as single largest party; BJP slips to 33

On the preparation for Lok Sabha poll counting day today, Manvendra Singh DM, Moradabad says, "At 8 am the counting of the votes will begin here. All the arrangements have been made. We have also made the necessary arrangements to tackle the heat...29-30 around will be done here."

On preparation for Lok Sabha poll counting day today, Moradabad SSP Hemraj Meena says, "At 8 am the counting of the votes will begin here. All the arrangements have been made. We have made the necessary force deployment at the centre...Barricades have been done and CCTVs have been installed. Two companies of Paramilitary forces have been deployed. 1200 police have been deployed."

As India waits with bated breath for the Lok Sabha poll results, political analysts say this year's election was "one of the most polarised" with parties using caste and religion to garner votes.

While the BJP focused on integrating various backward castes under the Hindutva fold, the INDIA bloc tried to win over Other Backward Caste (OBC) voters by promising to conduct a caste survey if it is voted to power, they said.

Jagdeep Chokar, the co-founder of the poll rights body Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), said this election was "one of the most polarised" he has ever witnessed.

"There was polarisation along the lines of caste, religion and region. It was not like this before. Caste has always been one of the most important mobilising factors in elections, but here, both caste and religion-based politics were at play," he told PTI.

Dr Iftekhar Ahmad Ansari, an associate professor at Aligarh Muslim University, pointed out that the realignment of castes has presented a challenge to the BJP.

Bread-and-butter issues like unemployment and inflation raised by the INDIA bloc and its promise to conduct a caste survey if it is voted to power has cut into the carefully crafted OBC vote bank of the BJP, he said.

Social engineering by the BJP focused on integrating various backward castes under the Hindutva fold but this strategy is now under threat as the traditional vote banks realign, he added.

After the exit polls forecasted a landslide win for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Lok Sabha elections, Uttar Pradesh Congress Chief and party's candidate from the Varanasi constituency, Ajay Rai claimed that the poll predictions are "confusing' and said that it needs to be stopped.

"This exit poll is confusing...it should be stopped...we all are performing very well and tomorrow INDIA alliance is going to form the government..." Rai said while speaking to ANI in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi.

Varanasi is one of the 'hot' seats given Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third term from here. Pitted against him is state Congress Chief Ajay Rai.

Varanasi paved the way for PM Modi to enter Lok Sabha in 2014, which he retained in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls too.

Meanwhile, the exit polls predicted a landslide victory for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), indicating a third straight term of the current government.

According to India Today-Axis My India exit polls, NDA is predicted to win 361-401 seats in the Lok Sabha polls. The INDIA bloc is expected to win 131-166 seats, it said and gave 8 to 20 seats to other parties.

The Republic P Marq exit poll gave 359 of 543 seats to NDA, 154 to INDIA bloc and 30 to others. Republic Matrize poll gave 353-368 seats to NDA, 118-113 to the INDIA bloc and 43-48 to others. The NewsX Dynamics gave 371 seats to NDA, 125 to INDIA bloc and 47 to others.

Uttar Pradesh, the state with the highest number of seats, is poised to see the BJP emerge victorious with 65 out of 80 seats, the exit polls have predicted.

As per the poll predictions, its NDA allies in the state, Apna Dal (Sonelal) and Rashtriya Lok Dal are slated to win 2 seats each which brings the NDA tally to 69 seats.

On the other end, Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party will gain 10 seats, and Congress will be able to muster up one lone seat. The INDI Alliance will win 11 seats in total, according to the exit polls.

If the exit poll predictions come true on June 4 when votes are counted, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will become the only PM after Jawaharlal Nehru to win three successive terms in Lok Sabha polls. The exit polls predicted 'Modi 3.0' with PM Modi having led the BJP's poll effort through rallies and roadshows in various parts of the country.

The Lok Sabha polls were held in seven phases starting from April 19 to June 1.

The counting of votes will be done today.

Ahead of the counting of votes for Lok Sabha polls, Uttar Pradesh Minister Sanjay Nishad on Monday said that opposition parties did nothing for the public in their respective tenure and people's sentiment towards this will be reflected in the election results tomorrow.

Speaking to ANI, Sanjay Nishad said, "After exit polls, there will be exact polls tomorrow. The opposition didn't do anything for the public for the last many years. Now that when we got a chance, things are being done in the interest of the public and this is the reason the public is with us."

Sanjay Nishad also said that Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has not yet understood the opinion of the public.

"NDA and BJP have done development and connected the public to the mainstream of development and this is the reason that the public's opinion is with the NDA, which Akhilesh Yadav is unable to understand and is facing continuous defeat," he said.

He also highlighted that INDIA bloc will be defeated as it has a weak organizational structure.

"Congress had Seva Dal, their workers used to remain present at the booth. But once they came into the power they started doing seva of foreign powers," Nishad said.

After the final phase of the Lok Sabha elections concluded on Saturday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa said that counting for the Lok Sabha election will begin at 8 AM at 81 counting centres in 75 districts across the state on Tuesday.

Taking potshots at the INDIA alliance, SBSP Chief and BJP ally OP Rajbhar on Monday said that the Samajwadi party and Congress are inciting resentment among Muslims against the BJP.

Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), an NDA partner headed by OP Rajbhar got one Lok Sabha constituency in its seat-sharing arrangement with the BJP in Uttar Pradesh.

Speaking in defence of the Bhartiya Janata party, referring to the exit poll predictions, Rajbhar told that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take oath as Prime Minister for the third time on 8th June and all the members of India Alliance who are promising their victory will board the plane and leave for Dubai, Italy.

Training guns at the INDIA bloc, Rajbhar said "At the time of independence, 38% Muslims were in government jobs and the same Congress and SP government brought those Muslims to 1% and sowed the poison of hatred against the Bharatiya Janata Party in their hearts. They should ask SP, how many Muslims got jobs in Police, did they give any government jobs to them?"

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the person who is working for the Muslims and talking about giving them their rights. That is why Muslims are joining the Bharatiya Janata Party and supporting it at all places in the country. This is the reason why before June 4, I can say that on the 4th we will cross 400 and on the June 8, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take oath as Prime Minister again.

Dismissing the predictions of exit poll results which show a favourable outcome for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Lok Sabha elections, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Rakesh Tikait took a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government saying that these exit polls are not going to counter the "king" who is an "astrologer" as well as a "dictator."

In a veiled attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tikait while speaking to reporters on Sunday said, "We have already said that in a country where the king is an astrologer and a dictator, what will the exit polls do? Who is going to counter whatever the king says?"

The farmer leader said that if the NDA has set a target of more than 400 seats, it shows that the "planning" for it was already done.

"If they were already claiming to win more than 400 seats, it means that the planning was already done," Tikait said.

Questioning the Electronic Voting Machines, Tikait said that everything is decided in advance which machine has to go at which place.

"I do not understand...where are EVM machines kept? Before the election, they are repaired. Cells and batteries are put in. Whatever alterations are done, everything is done from there. Which machine has to go where and what is the situation at that place is predecided," the farmer leader said.

Speaking about the issues that the BKU intends to raise, Tikait said, "Whoever forms the government, we have issues like loan waiver, Swaminathan Committee report, MSP guarantee law. These days, if you take the issue of the environment, temperatures are soaring. The government is not concerned with this. No matter how much the heat increases the government will cut forests."

The BKU leader said that they would be countering any government that came to power if they made any wrong decision.

"We want trees to be planted, forests should be saved, we will fight for tribals. We will fight for various issues in every state, no matter who is in power. We will fight on issues at the state and central levels. We do not have any problem with who is in government but their wrong policies. We do not have any issue with any political party. Whoever forms the government, if they make wrong decisions we will counter them through agitations," Tikait said.