Lok Sabha Elections 2024: NDA candidate gets mere 201 votes in Lakshadweep despite Modi's outreach

Thiruvananthapuram: Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi attempts to woo Muslim vote banks after fielding a Muslim scholar in Lakshadweep Lok Sabha seat, the Lakshadweep archipelago seems to have presented yet another humiliating defeat to the BJP as the NDA candidate got only 201 votes.

NDA, however, could find reasons to cheer as the votes polled by the BJP candidate in 2019 was just 125.

Former MP Muhammed Hamdullah Sayeed of the Congress wrested the seat by securing 25,726 votes against two time sitting MP Mohammed Faizal of the NCP (SP) with a lead of 2,647 votes. NDA candidate Yusuf T P of NCP (AP) came third with 201 votes in the archipelago which had a voter turnout of around 49,000.

Over the last few years Lakshadweep was in the news over the stiff resistance of the local people against a slew of reforms of the Praful Khoda Patel-led administration. A 'Save Lakshadweep' campaign had gone viral on social media in 2021. People feared that the reforms would affect the livelihood of the people and the BJP was making attempts to saffronise the archipelago which has high tourism potential.

In January Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself visited Lakshadweep. He interacted with the people and also highlighted the tourism potential of the islands. BJP camps had widely spread video footage of Modi interacting with Muslim women of Lakshadweep.

After the split in NCP and the NCP(AP) factioning joining the NDA, the Lakshadweep seat was given to NCP (AP) faction. The party even fielded a Muslim scholar, Yusuf T P,  as candidate.

But all these efforts did not help the NDA woo voters of the Muslim dominated region.

Lakshadweep had been witnessing NCP-Congress neck and neck fight over the last few elections. Muhammed Hamdullah Sayeed, who won this time, is the son of Congress leader P M Sayeed, the longest serving MP of  Lakshadweep. He lost the 2004 election and died in 2005. In the 2009 election his son won the seat. But in the 2014 and 2019 elections NCP's Mohammed Faizal won the seat. Faizal was in the news last year as he was disqualified after conviction in a murder attempt case. But the suspension was later revoked after the Supreme Court suspended the conviction.

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