Expats watch election results until the nail-biting finish
NT Correspondent
Doha
Indian expats in Qatar are rejoicing over the triumph of democracy in their home country as the results of the enthusiastically-awaited 18th parliament elections were declared on Tuesday after an election held in seven phases from 19 April to 1 June, 2024.
The election was seen as historic by both the ruling NDA coalition led by the rightwing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition INDIA alliance led by the Indian National Congress, with the former seeking a historic third term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to implement their agenda, while the latter called the election a battle to save India’s constitution and secularism.
Minorities in India, especially Muslims, also had awaited the results with trepidation as a third term for Modi would have led to a further erosion of their rights, with Modi himself resorting to blatant anti-Muslim rhetoric during his election campaign.
The NDA led in a majority of seats but was well short of an expected landslide as exit polls had predicted, dealing a surprise blow to Modi. Unlike the last two elections, the BJP will need its alliance partners to cross the 272-majority mark in the 543-seat parliament.
Almost all Indians in Qatar remained glued to TV channels and other news outlets as counting started at 5.30 am (8am in India). The counting was as gripping and nail-baiting as a thriller as both coalitions moved neck-and-neck, making a prediction difficult.
“I took leave from the office today to watch the results because this is an important election that will affect the future of all Indians,” Zubair Valiyaparamb, who works at QatarEnergy, told News Trail.
Many said they were happy at the results because ‘secularism and democracy in India prevailed’.
“This is a result that gives huge hope to all Indians who believe in democracy and secularism. And this was stated by our leader Rahul Gandhi before and after the elections,” Hyder Chungathara, President, INCAS, said:
“Though we couldn’t produce the results we expected in some places, we were able to get excellent results in some places where we didn’t expect much. In Kerala, the UDF was expecting to win all the 20 seats, but we lost two seats. Especially in Thrissur, the result was shocking and all of us who believe in secularism are feeling sad that fascist forces got an opportunity to make a presence in the state. It’s not a vote for BJP but for Suresh Gopi as an individual,” he added.
“The results show that Indian voters have spoken against communal divide. It also shows that they want the continuation of democracy and secularism. Whichever party rules now will have to focus on good governance and there will be a strong opposition. The days of unilateral decisions by a single party are over,” said Ahmad Kutty, President of Sanskriti.
“We thought it would be going towards a BJP landslide due to various factors and exit polls, but the results showed a different number. A strong opposition is always good for a democratic country like ours, where we should have a strong and active opponent,” Nilangshu Dey, former President of ICBF and Founder President of Indian Sports Centre said.
“We expected BJP will be coming up and they will be ruling for the next five years. We are expecting a lot from Modiji in the next five years, driving India to a different height. I am from West Bengal and was there in April, People were talking in a way which gives you the idea that BJP is going to get the majority in the state, but the results are completely different,” he added.
“As expected, BJP will form the government at the Centre. I have always thought that it should not be a single majority party ruling. And the opposition parties also should be recognized. Because only when a good opposition is there, good government can come out,” Ravindra Prasad, President of Samanvayam, said.
“As per all the exit polls, BJP should have taken more than 300 seats. And some said they would cross 400 as well but I had a feeling that it may be close to 300 and may not cross 300. I was surprised to see the results in Bihar, Orissa, and Andhra Pradesh, the east side of the country, where I did not expect the BJP to get a majority. I did expect that DMK coalition would win all the seats in Tamil Nadu and they did it as well,” said Mohana Sundaram, General Secretary, QTS
