Lok Sabha polls: Votes Modi needs to break his 2019 record. Check numbers

On June 4, attention will be centred around the BJP-led coalition's poll performance, with a particular interest in Varanasi on Narendra Modi's vote margin where he vies for a third term as an MP

Lok Sabha elections: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been very confident about breaking “all previous records” as he eyes a third term to power in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

Right after the Election Commission announced the Lok Sabha poll dates in mid-March, Modi asserted in a key Bharatiya Janata Party meeting, “I have a firm belief that this time all previous records will be broken.”

On the counting day on June 4, all eyes will be on how better or worse the BJP-led coalition will perform in the polls. In Varanasi, the focus is expected to be on Modi’s vote margin. He is seeking a third term as a Lok Sabha MP from the holy city of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, which he says has adopted him “like a brother, a son.”

The key UP constituency is up for polls today, the final leg of the election, which will complete the electoral process, and the votes will be counted on Tuesday, revealing the winners and the formation of the next government.

How many votes Modi needs to break his 2019 record in Varanasi?

In 2019, Modi retained the constituency by a margin of nearly 4.80 lakh votes. He defeated his nearest rival Shalini Yadav of the Samajwadi Party by a margin of 479,505 votes, according to the poll body’s data.

While Yadav secured 195,159 votes, Modi got 674,664 votes in 2019. His vote share stood at an impressive 63.62 per cent against Yadav’s 18.4 per cent.

Hence, to shatter his own 2019 record, Modi will require at least 674,664 votes and a margin greater than 479,505 votes compared to his nearest rival.

Modi’s 2019 poll performance was better compared to his first win at the seat in 2014. That year, he won the polls by a margin of 371,784 votes, defeating his nearest rival Aam Aadmi Party Chief Arvind Kejriwal. Modi’s share of votes in 2014 stood at 56.37 per cent.

Notably, the voter turnout in Varanasi in 2019 had declined from 58.35 per cent to 57.13 per cent.