Vote counting is in progress for 542 out of the 543 Lok Sabha seats. In the current trends, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appears far from securing a majority, encountering setbacks in several key constituencies. Meanwhile, the Congress party is seen giving tough competition to the BJP, leading in approximately 100 seats. Amid this, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met with a party supporter outside at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in Delhi and engaged in a conversation. During the interaction, the supporter joyfully embraced Rahul Gandhi. A heartwarming video capturing the moment has gone viral on social media platforms. In the video, a Congress party worker, holding the party flag, can be seen crossing the barricade to approach Rahul Gandhi, expressing happiness by hugging him.
Watch video here:
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi is on track for a significant triumph in Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli constituency, surpassing the victory margin of his mother, Sonia Gandhi, in the 2019 elections. According to Election Commission data as of 2:15 pm, Gandhi is leading by over 2.62 lakh votes against his closest rival, Dinesh Pratap Singh of the BJP, who serves as a minister in the Yogi Adityanath cabinet.
Sonia Gandhi, who held the Rae Bareli seat since 2004, won by a margin of 1.67 lakh votes against Mr. Singh in the previous election. Opting out of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, she moved to the Rajya Sabha, paving the way for Rahul Gandhi to contest from Rae Bareli as the Congress candidate.
Previously representing the Amethi Lok Sabha seat from 2004 to 2019, Rahul Gandhi faced defeat in Amethi to BJP's Smriti Irani in the last elections. However, he secured a second seat in Kerala, retaining his Member of Parliament status. In the current elections, he is contesting in two constituencies – Rae Bareli (Uttar Pradesh) and Wayanad (Kerala) – and is leading in both. In Wayanad, he is ahead of his nearest rival, Annie Raja of the CPM, by over 3 lakh votes.
Meanwhile, the Congress party aims to reclaim its Amethi seat from the BJP, with Smriti Irani trailing behind Congress candidate Kishori Lal by over 90,000 votes.
As per the latest trends, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is leading in 291 seats, while the opposition INDIA bloc is ahead in 233 seats. The counting has also delivered surprises in Uttar Pradesh, where the Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance is leading ahead of the BJP.