Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Did INDIA bloc seat-sharing pact benefit Congress more than its allies? Yes, but...

When the INDIA bloc was formed in early 2023, who would eat into whose vote share in different states was a hot topic of debate. Would the Congress transfer its votes to the regional parties or vice versa? Now that the Lok Sabha Election Results 2024 are out, here's what it shows:

According to political expert Abhimanyu Bharti, the Congress benefited in states like Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra "where there was a direct alliance." In states such as West Bengal and Punjab — where the alliance partners contested against each other — the alliance managed to reduce the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) seat share. 

Moreover, an analysis showed that regional parties seemed to have gained more than the Congress in West Bengal, Kerala and Punjab, where INDIA bloc allies were contesting against each other.

Here's a closer look:

INDIA bloc in ‘direct’ alliance

Uttar Pradesh: The SP won 37 seats – the maximum among all the other parties. The Congress won six seats of the total 80 Lok Sabha seats. In 2019, when the SP had contested in alliance with the Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP), the SP had won five seats and the Congress just one. Both parties' seats and vote share rose in the 2024 polls.

Maharashtra: The Congress pulled a surprise by winning 13 Lok Sabha seats, more than any other political party in the state. The party had won just one seat in 2019 elections. Also, the Congress secured 16.96 per cent of the total vote share in Maharashtra, which was marginally up from 16.41 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. 

The Congress' allies – the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackrey) won nine seats, and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) won eight seats. The INDIA bloc won 30 seats of 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra.

Tamil Nadu: The INDIA bloc ally Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) transferred three seats to the Congress and one to the CPIM. Meanwhile, the Congress and the CPIM transferred one seat to the DMK. Here's a look at seats which were transferred within INDIA bloc allies in Tamil Nadu:

From Congress to DMK: Arani

From DMK to Congress: Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Tirunelveli

From CPIM to DMK: Coimbatore

From DMK to CPIM: Dindigul

The DMK won a whopping 22 seats in Tamil Nadu, which sends 39 members to Lok Sabha. The Congress, meanwhile, won nine seats in the state. The 2024 results were similar to that in 2019. In the last Lok Sabha polls, the DMK won 24 seats, and the Congress won 8.

The Congress' vote share declined in Tamil Nadu from 12.62 per cent to 10.6 per cent, while that of the DMK declined from 33.53 per cent to 26.9 per cent.

INDIA bloc in 'tactical' alliance: Did NDA's seat share decline?

West Bengal: India bloc allies, the TMC and the Congress, went solo in Bengal. Mamata Banerjee's TMC won 29 of 42 Lok Sabha seats – up from 22 in 2019. The BJP plunged to 12 seats – down from 18 in 2019. The Congress just won one seat in the 2024 polls – down from two in the 2019 elections.

However, the vote share of the TMC increased marginally from 43.69 per cent to 45 per cent in Bengal, while that of the Congress decreased from 5.6 per cent to 4 per cent in 2024.

Punjab: India bloc allies, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, contested against each other in Punjab. The AAP grabbed the Anandpur Sahib seat from the Congress, but the Congress didn't lose any seat to the AAP.

It was their vote share which was impacted. The Congress vote share declined from 40.58 per cent in 2019 to 26 per cent in 2024. The AAP's vote share increased significantly from 7.46 per cent in 2019 to 26 per cent in 2024.

The Congress won seven seats in 2024 – down from eight in 2019. The AAP won three seats – up from one in 2019. The BJP, this time, failed to open its account in Punjab – losing the two seats it had won in 2019.

Kerala: Here, the Congress' vote share saw a decline of around 2 per cent from 37.4 per cent in 2019 to 35 per cent in 2024. That of the CPIM declined marginally from 25.9 in 2019 to 25.82 in 2024.

However, in Kerala, the BJP opened its account by winning one seat in the state. The party had won no Lok Sabha seat in the state in the 2019 elections. Its vote share also increased from 12.9 per cent in 2019 to 16 per cent in 2024.

India bloc allies, the Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), contested against each other in Kerala. The Congress won 14 of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in the southern state – down from 15 in 2019. Among the 14, the Congress won the Alappuzha seat – the lone seat its partner CPI(M) had won in 2019. Meanwhile, Alathur was transferred to the CPIM from the Congress in 2024.

INDIA bloc: From turmoil to resounding comeback

Last year, when the INDIA bloc was formed, it was discussed whether the political parties would be able to keep the flock together. As the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 came closer, the opposition's coalition started falling apart. How?

Mamata Banerjee's TMC went solo in West Bengal for Lok Sabha polls, the Congress and the AAP contested against each other in Punjab and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar snapped ties with the INDIA bloc to join the rival Bharatiya Jana Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

However, the INDIA bloc posed a tough fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance in the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, leading to unexpected results in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.