Lok Sabha Election Results 2024: Rahul Gandhi’s resounding victory in Wayanad defies BJP’s predictions

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi triumphed in the Wayanad parliamentary constituency in Kerala defying BJP's prediction that he would lose. Gandhi secured 647,445 votes and won by a margin of 364,422 votes. His closest rival Annie Raja of the Communist Party of India (CPI) garnered only 283,023 votes. BJP candidate K Surendran came in third with 141,045 votes, trailing Gandhi by 506,400 votes.

This victory is in addition to Gandhi's impressive performance in Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli where he won with a huge winning margin. According to Election Commission data, Gandhi defeated BJP's Dinesh Pratap Singh by 390,030 votes.

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Notably, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already secured his seat in Varanasi by defeating Congress' Ajay Rai.

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Gandhi, who had lost the Amethi constituency in Uttar Pradesh in 2019, reclaimed the Wayanad seat also in this election. After voting in Wayanad, he also filed his nomination for Rae Bareli just an hour before the deadline on May 3.

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Rahul Gandhi reacts

Rahul Gandhi in a press briefing on Tuesday (June 4) thanked the voters for their support and said, "The people of UP understood the politics of the country and the danger to the Constitution, and they safeguarded the Constitution. I thank them for supporting the Congress party and the INDIA alliance."

Gandhi said that he is yet to decide which seat he will retain. "I need to decide which seat I will retain. I haven't decided yet," he said in the press conference.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, who also accompanied Rahul Gandhi to the press conference commented on the election results, saying, "This election results are 'janata ka result'...It is clear this mandate is against Modi ji. This is his moral and political defeat."

(With inputs from agencies)