Vol. 67 No. 212 | WEDNESDAY | JUNE 5, 2024 | 26 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only Quality at Value www.freepressjournal.in MEMBER: AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATION JANUARY TO DECEMBER 2023 EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Nashik, Konkan, Indore, Bhopal, E-paper KANGANA RANAUT’S BIG WIN EDIT Actress won from Mandi in Lok Sabha elections 2024 IMPLEMENTATION OF REFORMS WILL BE CHALLENGING FOR MODI 3.0 ‘LOSER’ CONGRESS LOOKS LIKE A WINNER Economists say the poll results are a negative surprise ■ BJP retains all 29 seats in MP, all seven in Delhi, all four in HP and all five in Uttarakhand; But “do ladkay” spoil its dream run in UP ■ In West Bengal, Mamata did not allow the BJP to make any inroads ■ Wins Karnataka by diminished numbers AB KI BAAR, REALITY CHECK BJP falls way short of majority mark, PM Modi calls on Chandrababu Naidu; both he and Nitish Kumar hold the lifeline to government formation for the confidence they had reposed in the NDA as it heads towards forming the third successive government at the Centre. Modi was one of the prominent winners. He won his election from Varanasi, albeit with a reduced margin. Other important winner included Home Minister Amit Shah from Gandhinagar, Union minister Nitin Gadkari from Nagpur and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from Wayanad. The prominent losers included Union ministers Smriti Irani from Amethi and Rajeev Chandrasekhar from Thiruvananthapuram. CONTD. ON NATION GAURAV VIVEK BHATNAGAR NEW DELHI I   thank everyone for their love. I am indebted to all Indians. The citizens of India have affirmed their faith in the BJP and the NDA once again. ❁❁❁ oday's victory is the victory of the world's biggest democracy. This is the victory of faith in the country's constitution. This is the victory of 'sabka sath sabka vikas' mantra. This is a victory of Viksit Bharat. This is the victory of 140 crore Indians. ❁❁❁ his mandate has many aspects. This was the first time after 1962, that a government returned to power after completing two terms. ❁❁❁ NDIA bloc did not win as many seats as the BJP alone did. ❁❁❁ t was my first election after my mother's death, but crores of citizens didn't let me feel the void.  crores of mothers, The sisters and daughters did not let me miss my mother. ❁❁❁ his is the first time the BJP will have a Chief Minister on the land of Lord Jagannath (Odisha). BJP won a seat in Kerala, too. ❁❁❁ n Telangana, our numbers have doubled. In Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Himachal, and many other states, our party almost made a clean sweep. ❁❁❁ assure the people of these states (four that went to assembly polls) that the Centre will not leave any stone unturned for their development. Under Nitish babu, NDA did well in Bihar. ❁❁❁ en years ago, there was a mandate for a change. That was the time when the country was into depression and was counted among the 'fragile five'. Newspaper headlines were about corruption. The youth were concerned about their future. At that time, the country gave us the responsibility to bring back hope.  ❁❁❁ he second term was for development and guarantees. The blessing that NDA got for the third time, I bow before the public. T T I I T I I T T SIZE CHHAPPAN Contrary to most exit poll predictions, the BJP on Tuesday fell way short of the majority mark of 272 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, ending with around 240. While it appeared on course to form the next government with the support of its National Democratic Alliance allies, the bid by the INDIA bloc leaders to poach, has put a spoke in the wheel of the next government. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dispelled all doubts in the matter when he thanked the people FPJ NEWS SERVICE MUMBAI After much euphoria over the exit poll results, Indian shares plunged across the board on Tuesday posting their worst , session in more than four years, as voting trends showed BJP may not cross the golden threshold without the help of allies. This would essentially mean a return to coalition politics, with each party in a position to extract its pound of flesh, a loathsome prospect for the market which was salivating at the prospect of continuity and fast-tracking of reforms. CONTD. ON NATION Uddhav leaves his imprint Last-minute hiccup as Waikar bags Mumbai North-west after repeated recounts; BJP’s Piyush Goel wins Mumbai North S BALAKRISHNAN / MUMBAI The outcome of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections have given a major boost to the political career of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray . Not only did the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), of which the Shiv Sena (UBT) is an important component, win 29 of the 48 seats in the state (10 of these were won by Uddhav’s party) but he has also captured the imagination of Mumbaikars.  His Shiv Sena won three seats – Mumbai south, Mumbai south-central and Mumbai northeast. MAHARASHTRA LS ELECTION RESULTS It almost clinched Mumbai northwest but, at the last moment, a recount was ordered which was carried out repeatedly; finally it was put out that Shiv Sena’s Ravindra Waikar had won by 48 votes against UBT’s Amol BJP SS/Shinde NCP INC FPJ POLITICAL BUREAU MUMBAI In a tightly contested Lok Sabha election, the Maha Vikas Aghadi has outsmarted the Mahayuti in Maharashtra. The Mahayuti, comprising the BJP Shiv Sena and NCP , , miserably failed to create magic riding on Modi’s guarantee and achieve its much-touted Mission 45plus. On the other hand, the MVA  consisting of the –  Shiv Sena, NCP-SP and Congress  –  was able to rightly gauge the growing voter discontent against the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre and the Mahayuti in the state, and succeeded in winning more seats.  The Mahayuti   was routed in Vidarbha, Marathwada and Mumbai, while the MVA reported a stellar performance in these regions.  Kirtikar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had held a massive rally at Shivaji Park and a big roadshow in the Mumbai northeast constituency But these failed . to make sufficient political inroads. CONTD. ON NATION SS/UBT NCP/SHARAD OTHER 10 07 01 13 09 Mahayuti’s Mission 45-plus bites dust 07 01 NAIDU: THE RETURN OF THE MAVERICK VJM DIVAKAR / HYDERABAD WARNING IN KONAN: However, the drubbing taken by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena in the Konkan region, comprising Thane, Kalyan, Palghar, Maval, Raigad and Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, should be a major warning. The Shiv Sena of yore had taken root in the Konkan region but now, after its split, has been washed out. Uddhav Thackeray must take it seriously in the run-up to the upcoming assembly elections slated for September-October this year.  CONTD. ON NATION TDP Supremo N Chandrababu Naidu is once again set to play a key role at the Centre just as he did in 1996 and 1999. Naidu is one leader who will not hesitate to walk an extra mile if it suits his state’s interests. In 1996, as Convenor of the United Front Government then, he was instrumental in making Deva Gowda the PM and later nominating IK Gujral after the fall of the NDA government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 13 days. He allied with the United Front despite the fact that the TDP’s archrival in Andhra Pradesh, the state Congress, was the main constituent of UF . In 1999, Naidu came to the rescue of the NDA government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee (which was in minority) and helped it complete its five-year term. CONTD. ON NATION BJP LOSES AYODHYA; KALYAN SINGH’S SON LOST IN ETAH HEY RAM! ULTA PRADESH BISWAJEET BANERJEE / LUCKNOW The political landscape of Uttar Pradesh has undergone a sea change as recent election results reveal a significant setback for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and revival of the Congress. Despite the heightened religious fervour following the consecration of the Ram Temple in January 2024, the BJP failed to secure a victory reminiscent of its loss in , the 1993 elections. “The election results are a classic example where caste has subsumed the Ram atmospherics,’’ political analyst Preetam Srivastava said. Congress candidate Ujjawal Raman Singh, who won election from Allahabad, told the FPJ: “UP ne to sara game hi badal diya” Historical Parallels: 1992 and 2024 On December 6, 1992, the Babri Mosque was demolished, an event that triggered widespread Sensex at its worst in four years Caste factor subsumes temple atmospherics communal unrest and led to the fall of the Kalyan Singh government in UP The atmosphere across the state . was charged with religious sentiment, and the BJP was seen as the saviour of Hindutva. However, in the subsequent 1993 elections, despite the prevailing Ram wave, the BJP was defeated by the SP and BSP combine, marking a significant political shift. Mulayam Singh Yadav was made the Chief Minister. Fast forward to 2024, and history seems to have repeated itself. The consecration of the Ram Temple on January 22, 2024, once again stirred a wave of religious fervour across UP Yet, four months later, the election . results did not favour the BJP . The BJP lost in Ayodhya, the city Modi had transformed by building airports and improving the infrastructure. CONTD. ON NATION CONG WILL DISCUSS BID TO FORM GOVT WITH ALLIES FPJ DESK / NEW DELHI T he India Bloc is not shy of making a bid to form the government, but a call to reach out to the Telugu Desam Party and the Janata Dal United -- both of which have been former allies -- will be taken by the opposition alliance at a meeting on Wednesday media reports said. The India Bloc may , fancy its chances as a narrow margin of 60 seats separates the NDA and INDIA formulations, at 292 and 232, respectively . CONTD. ON NATION BJP 240 BJP vulnerable in hard world of coalitions Instead of taking to large scale structural repairs, the party went about with a Having won both the last two makeover by plastering the Lok Sabha elections with a walls. As a result, it failed to complete majority the BJP assess the mood of the nation , probably never realised the correctly The new allies it . importance of sticking with took on board may have done old allies. The departure of well in bits and pieces but Janata Dal (United), the Shiv whether they would stick Sena and the Shiromani with it in its hour of need is Akali Dal (Badal) should have now the big question. rung alarm bells. Perhaps The BJP which was eyeing , overconfidence and arro- 370 seats for itself and over gance made the BJP ignore 400 with its National Demothe cracks in NDA walls. cratic Alliance allies, has stopped even short of the 250 mark. While on paper it looks SP TMC DMK CONG as if it is not too far from the magic figure of 272, most of its allies are new or ones who have ditched it in the past. So, will they stand besides OTHERS it now, when the Congress and other INDIA bloc parties are also CONTD. ON NATION GAURAV VIVEK BHATNAGAR NEW DELHI 99 37 Total 543 29 22 116