The results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were announced on 04 June 2024. The BJP won 240 seats, becoming the single largest party. The BJP-led NDA coalition secured 293 seats and formed the government on 09 June 2024. In these elections, Narendra Modi contested from Varanasi and won with a majority of 1.52 lakh votes. In this context, a post claiming that Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, who previously contested various Lok Sabha elections as Prime Ministers, won with a smaller majority than Narendra Modi (here, here, here, & here) is being shared widely. Through this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, who previously contested various Lok Sabha elections as Prime Ministers, won with a smaller majority than Narendra Modi’s majority in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Fact: It is not appropriate to compare the majorities secured by Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi in the past Lok Sabha elections with the majority secured by Narendra Modi in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The total number of voters in the parliamentary constituencies contested by Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi in previous Lok Sabha elections was much less than the total number of voters in the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency in 2024. Therefore, we cannot conclude that they won with a smaller majority than Narendra Modi based solely on these numbers. The number of voters in most Lok Sabha constituencies has significantly increased since the 1960s. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
In the recently announced results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who contested from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat, won with a majority of 1.52 lakh votes. However, Modi’s majority in this election has significantly reduced compared to the previous 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
To check the veracity of the viral claim, we visited the official website of the Election Commission of India (ECI) and examined the statistical reports of various general elections published by the Election Commission of India (here, here & here). Electoral statistics data related to various Lok Sabha general elections held in India can be found in this dataset from DATAFUL.
After analyzing all these reports and data, we found that in the first two Lok Sabha elections, up to the 1962 Lok Sabha general elections, two MP candidates were elected in some constituencies in our country. This means that voters in these constituencies needed to vote for two candidates.
In the first two elections after independence, voters in one out of every five Lok Sabha seats in the country had to choose not just one MP to represent them, but two. India’s first general elections in 1951-52 were held in 400 constituencies across 26 states. Of these, 314 constituencies elected a single MP each, but 86 elected two – one each from the general and Scheduled Caste categories. In West Bengal, the North Bengal constituency even elected three MPs – one each from the General, Scheduled Tribes, and Scheduled Castes categories. These multi-seat constituencies were created to reserve space for deprived sections – Dalits and tribal communities. The second general elections, held in 1957, were conducted in a total of 403 constituencies. Of these, 312 constituencies elected one MP each, while 91 constituencies elected two MPs – one each from the General and Scheduled Caste categories. Candidates were elected for a total of 494 Lok Sabha seats in these elections.
This system of multi-seat constituencies was a crucial part of the first two Indian general elections in 1951-52 and 1957. It was abolished in 1961 through the Two-Member Constituencies (Abolition) Act, 1961 (here & here). It was replaced by separate general and reserved seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
In the 1957 Lok Sabha elections, Jawaharlal Nehru contested from Uttar Pradesh’s Phulpur parliamentary constituency, which was a two-seat constituency (two MP candidates were elected). In this election, Jawaharlal Nehru received 227,448 votes and was the candidate to secure the highest number of votes in this seat. Masuria Din, who won as the second MP, received 198,430 votes. There is a difference of 29,018 votes between Nehru and Masuria Din. This difference is mentioned in the post as the majority obtained by Jawaharlal Nehru in the 1957 Lok Sabha elections. However, this should not be considered Nehru’s majority since it was a two-seat constituency.
As mentioned in the post, it is true that in the 1962 Lok Sabha elections, Jawaharlal Nehru, who contested from the Phulpur parliamentary constituency, won with a majority of 64,571 votes. In the 1967 Lok Sabha election, Indira Gandhi, who contested from Rae Bareli, won with a majority of 91,703 votes. In the 1971 Lok Sabha elections, Indira Gandhi, who contested from Rae Bareli, won with a majority of 1,11,810 votes. However, in the 1977 Lok Sabha election, Indira Gandhi, who contested from the Rae Bareli parliamentary constituency, lost to Raj Narain by a margin of 55,202 votes.
Although the margins mentioned in the post are true, it is not appropriate to compare the majority they secured with Narendra Modi’s majority in Varanasi in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The total number of voters in the Lok Sabha constituencies contested by Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi in previous Lok Sabha elections was much less than the total number of voters in the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency in 2024. Therefore, we cannot conclude that they won with a smaller majority than Narendra Modi based solely on these numbers. The number of voters in most Lok Sabha constituencies has significantly increased since the 1960s. When making such comparisons, the most appropriate approach is to consider the majority received as a percentage of the total votes cast.
Looking at the majority in terms of percentage of votes, Jawaharlal Nehru won the 1962 Lok Sabha elections with a majority of 33.36% votes. Indira Gandhi secured a 35.24% votes majority in the 1967 Lok Sabha elections and a 40.47% votes majority in the 1971 elections. In the 1977 Lok Sabha elections, Indira Gandhi lost to Raj Narain with a margin of 16.62% votes.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Narendra Modi contested from Vadodara and Varanasi constituencies. He won the Vadodara seat with a 49.08% vote majority and the Varanasi seat with a 36.14% vote majority. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Modi won from the Varanasi seat with a 45.39% vote majority. However, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Modi’s majority in the Varanasi seat decreased significantly to 13.50%.
Data related to various Lok Sabha general elections held in India can be found in this dataset from DATAFUL. Total votes received and majorities secured by Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Narendra Modi in various elections are detailed below.
Some of the posts (here, here, here) are sharing these stats as a response to Dhruv Rathee’s comments that PM Modi’s margin is the 2nd lowest margin for any sitting Prime Minister ever. However, the screenshot shared by Dhruv Rathee is from a Hindustan Times article that analysed victory margin of sitting Prime Ministers in terms of vote share.
According to ECI data, it is true that former PM Chandra Shekhar holds the record for the lowest majority ever secured by a sitting PM to date. Chandra Shekhar, who was the sitting PM during the 1991 Lok Sabha General elections, contested from the Ballia constituency and managed to win the election with a majority of 12.78% of the votes.
To sum up, it is not appropriate to compare the majorities secured by Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi in various previous Lok Sabha elections with the majority secured by Modi in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, as the total number of voters in most Lok Sabha constituencies has significantly increased compared to the 1960s.
