The 18th Lok Sabha commenced; it started with the swearing in of 543 members elected through the first-past-the-post system, followed by the election for the speaker, which happened after 50 years, as for the first time the arbiter of the August House was not decided based on consensus. Apart from the parliamentary conventions, what stood out from the current process was the exuberance, an opposition with spine, courage, and the conviction to represent the people of India as the voice, especially for the 40% of the electorate that voted against the previous Treasury benches. Subsequently, adding more flair to the whole lot, is the reemergence of the Indian National Congress; after garnering more than 10% of the seats, they have the constitutional privilege of occupying the position of Leader of the Opposition. All in all, the people of India have rejected the totalitarian authoritarianism of the past regime and want accountability from the people in power. Thus, they saw the opposing side as well suited to having a sizable number of representatives, but the question to ask is: will this sentiment be heard and acknowledged by the Prime Minister himself? Only time will tell. For now, one should celebrate that the downfall of India as narrated is not continuous and that the ethos of democracy stays empowered amongst its people and, to an extent, in the parliament, the house of the people.
Democracy is not merely a form of Government. It is primarily a mode of
Mahatma Gandhi
associated living, of conjoint communicated experience. It is essentially an
attitude of respect and reverence towards our fellow men.
Results by Region
| Region | Seats | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NDA | INDIA | Others | ||
| North India | 151 | 83 | 72 | 6 |
| West India | 78 | 45 | 31 | 2 |
| Central India | 40 | 39 | 1 | 0 |
| East India | 118 | 72 | 45 | 1 |
| Northeast India | 25 | 16 | 7 | 2 |
| South India | 131 | 49 | 77 | 5 |
| Total | 543 | 293 | 234 | 16 |
