The monumental task of tallying votes for the Lok Sabha seats in the 2024 elections kicked off at 8 am IST on Tuesday. Simultaneously, results for the assembly elections in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh were conducted alongside voting for the 543-member Lok Sabha. Results for 175 assembly constituencies in Andhra Pradesh, 147 assembly constituencies in Odisha, and bypolls in 25 assembly constituencies will also be announced today.
However, even before the official results were announced, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured its first victory. Mukesh Dalal won the Surat Lok Sabha seat uncontested, as the nomination of Congress' Nilesh Kumbhani was rejected due to irregularities in the signature of proposers, and other candidates withdrew before the polls.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar stated on Monday that in cases of uncontested polls, the Election Commission intervenes when other candidates withdraw nominations under pressure. He also suggested that any provision preventing a person from being declared the winner in uncontested polls may not align with the law. This came in response to a question during a press conference regarding a Supreme Court ruling on the 'none of the above' option concerning candidates elected to the Lok Sabha or assemblies unopposed.