In the ongoing counting of votes for the 2024 general elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is currently leading in the two Lok Sabha constituencies of Wayanad in Kerala and Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh, according to early leads.
In Wayanad, Kerala, Rahul Gandhi is ahead with a margin of 8,718 votes, as per the Election Commission. His opponents in the constituency include BJP leader K Surendran and CPI's Annie Raja.
Similarly, in Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh, Rahul Gandhi is leading with a margin of 2,126 votes. Thakur Prasad Yadav is contesting from the Bahujan Samaj Party against him.
The polling in Wayanad took place on April 26 in the second phase, along with five other constituencies in the state. A staggering 642 million people cast their votes across seven phases over a six-week period. The counting process commenced with postal ballots under tight security measures.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi secured victory in Wayanad with a significant margin of over 4.31 lakh votes, the highest in Kerala during that election. He garnered 64.7% of the vote share, defeating LDF candidate PP Suneer.
Annie Raja, contesting from Wayanad, is the wife of CPI general secretary D Raja and holds the position of general secretary in the party's National Federation of Indian Women.
Additionally, the counting for State Legislative Assemblies of 175 Assembly constituencies in Andhra Pradesh and 147 Assembly constituencies in Odisha, along with the results of bypolls in 25 Assembly constituencies, has begun.
The Bharatiya Janata Party aims for a third consecutive term in power, while the opposition, under the umbrella of the INDIA bloc, endeavors to overthrow the ruling party. Despite most exit polls favoring Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reelection, the Congress party and its allies dismiss them as "orchestrated" and express confidence in forming the next government at the Centre.
Prior to the vote counting, the Bharatiya Janata Party secured one seat in the Surat Lok Sabha. The Lok Sabha elections encompassed 543 seats across seven phases.
