Published Jun 04, 2024 | 10:49 AM ⚊ Updated Jun 04, 2024 | 11:43 AM
Modi praying in Kanniyakumari. (X)
Amid the high voltage Lok Sabha polls counting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was trailing behind Congress’ Ajay Rai by a margin of 6,223 votes in the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency at around 9:30 am.
In an hour, in the subsequent rounds, the prime minister covered up the gap and was seen leading with a margin of 21,629 votes at around 10:30 am.
However, the news has been turned into ammunition by the Opposition Congress.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh speaking to the media, called the brief trail not only a political but also a moral defeat.
Jairam ramesh added, “These trends show that the present (PM) is going to become the former. This is his moral and political defeat…It has never happened before that the Prime Minister trails from his own constituency. The trends in Varanasi are just the trailer..”
This is what is called a trailer! pic.twitter.com/KQsiuObLCY
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 4, 2024
Narendra Modi is seeking election from Varanasi for the third time. He won from the Uttar Pradesh Constituency twice before in 2014, and 2019.
Congress’ Ajay Rai too contested unsuccessfully from the same seat twice in 2o14, and 2019.
In 2014, the AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal too contested against Modi.
The Varanasi seat in the Hindi heartland of Uttar Pradesh is considered a bastion of the incumbent BJP, from where, in 2019, the prime minister won with a majority of 4.8 lakh votes.
Polling for the 543 Lok Sabha constituencies in the 28 states and eight Union Territories was held in seven phases from 18 April to 1 June.
The election results will be accessible live through the website https://results.eci.gov.in, using the Election Commission’s ENCORE software.
This is the first time in a Lok Sabha election that results from all constituencies in the country will be made available through a unified system.
(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula)
