NEW DELHI: In the island territory of Lakshadweep, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a scheduled stop three months ago, images of him snorkeling, walking on a white-sand beach, and relaxing in a chair by turquoise waters surfaced on social media. These visuals were perceived by the public as a dual approach to secure votes and enhance Lakshadweep’s appeal as a tourist destination ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
The territory did see the tourism boost as Make My Trip shared the data of 3,400% increase in searches after PM Modi’s visit but the party failed to win the territory in Lok Sabha Elections 2024.
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The only seat in Lakshadweep, with more than 96% Muslim residents, was secured by Muhammed Hamdullah Sayeed of the Indian National Congress. He won against the NDA candidate T.P. Yousuf from NCP (Ajit Pawar) with a 25,525 vote lead, and also outperformed the Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar candidate Mohammed Faizal PP by -2,647 votes.
Muhammed Hamdulla Sayeed is a former MP and son of PM Sayeed, the longest-serving MP in Lakshadweep. On the other hand Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar [NCP(SP)] had previously won in both the 2014 and 2019 General Elections.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate Mohammed Faizal Padippura won the seat with 22,851 votes, barely managing to win against Congress candidate Muhammed Hamdulla Sayeed, who got 22,028 votes. JD(U) candidate Mohammed Siddique KP came third with 1,342 votes.
The 2024 Lakshadweep General Election took place in a single phase on April 19th, marking the beginning of the 18th Lok Sabha polls. Voter turnout stood at 84.16%. The Lakshadweep Lok Sabha constituency shows no Scheduled Caste population, and an estimated 95% Scheduled Tribe population as per the latest report from the Delimitation Commission. The district(s) covering this constituency display an estimated literacy rate of 92% based on the 2011 Census of India.