The ruling BJP in India had aimed for securing 400-plus seats in the General Election to elect the 18th Lok Sabha and had even coined the slogan “Ab ki baar, 400 paar”.
The saffron party was restricted at 240 even though it formed the government with the help of NDA allies.
In the British parliamentary elections, the Labour Party surged to a landslide victory on Friday and achieved what the BJP couldn’t: A historic mandate of 400-plus seats.
Keir Starmer vowed to bring change to Britain as its next Prime Minister after his Labour Party won a landslide win, ending 14 years of often tumultuous Conservative government.
The Labour won a massive majority in the 650-seat parliament, with Indian-origin outgoing PM Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives suffering the worst performance in the party’s long history as voters punished them for a “cost of living” crisis and a series of scandals.
“We did it,” Starmer proclaimed in his victory speech. “Change begins now… We said we would end the chaos, and we will. We said we would turn the page, and we have. Today, we start the next chapter, begin the work of change, the mission of national renewal, and start to rebuild our country.”
With nearly a dozen results still pending, the centrist Liberal Democrats celebrated their best performance ever, securing 70 seats. In a crushing defeat for the Conservatives, about 250 lawmakers, including a record number of senior ministers and former Prime Minister Liz Truss, were ousted.
A somber Sunak conceded defeat and acknowledged Starmer’s victory, stating, “Today power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner, with goodwill on all sides.
There is much to learn and reflect on, and I take responsibility for the loss to the many good hardworking Conservative candidates… I am sorry.”
Despite Labour’s convincing victory, polls indicate limited enthusiasm for Starmer or his party.
Due to Britain’s first-past-the-post system, Labour’s triumph appears to have been achieved with fewer votes than in both 2017 and 2019, the latter being Labour’s worst electoral showing in 84 years.
Starmer inherits a country facing substantial challenges. Britain’s tax burden is set to reach its highest level since just after World War II, net debt is nearly equivalent to annual economic output, living standards have declined, and public services, especially the National Health Service, are struggling.
