"People didn't accept BJP's campaign of 'Mandir Masjid', Hindu Muslim and 'Mangalsutra'. The central government adopted an attitude, especially against the opposition, such as targeting them, imprisoning elected Chief Ministers, and misusing agencies like the ED and CBI. All these actions have been rejected by the people," Pilot said.
Pilot emphasised that the electorate dismissed such polarising tactics and instead inclined towards the Congress' inclusive manifesto and narrative. "On the other hand, the Congress, whose numbers have now doubled, was better understood by the public in terms of our manifesto, our narrative, and our campaign. Double-engine has failed in Lucknow (UP), Jaipur (Rajasthan) and Haryana. I am thankful to the workers, leaders and candidates of Congress," Pilot said.
"The message of this election is definitely against the BJP and NDA," he added. "If we look at the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, what message do they convey? Before the elections, the BJP went into the elections with 303 seats and claimed in the House that they would win 370 seats and the coalition would secure 400 seats. But when the results came in, BJP ended up with 60-70 fewer seats, stopping at 240, and the coalition's tally also fell short," Pilot said.
Pilot said that the electorate's mandate was not in favour of any single party or coalition, signifying a shift towards coalition or mixed governments in the future. "The public's mandate was against both the coalition and the BJP. I believe that the politics and governance the BJP offered and the issues they campaigned on were directly rejected by the people, and all their claims were proven wrong. Today, no party has been given a clear mandate by the people to form the government. Any government that will be formed will be a coalition or a mixed government," Pilot said.
He also said that the process of government formation is underway, with the President actively involved in nominating candidates and the final outcome will soon become clear. In Rajasthan, the BJP won 14 out of 25 seats while the Congress managed to secure eight seats. The CPI (M), Rashtriya Loktantrik Party and Bharat Adivasi Party managed to clinch one seat each. The BJP had secured a majority in Rajasthan in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections getting 24 seats while the Congress which got zero seats in 2019 managed to notch up 8 seats this time. Voting for Rajasthan's 25 seats was concluded in the first and second phases on April 19 and 26 respectively.
Meanwhile, according to the Election Commission of India, the BJP won 240 seats, much lower than its 2019 tally of 303. The Congress, on the other hand, registered a strong improvement, winning 99 seats. While the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance won 292 seats, the INDIA bloc crossed the 230 mark, posing stiff competition, and defying all predictions. PM Modi has secured a third term, but the BJP needed the support of other parties in his coalition, primarily JD (U) chief Nitish Kumar and TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu.
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