PDF Download: Click here
1. How many seats did BJP win in the Lok Sabha elections 2024, missing the majority and now having to depend on allies?
a. 270
b. 240
c. 180
d. 37
Answer: b. 240
Total seats: 543
Majority mark: 272
BJP: 240 (-63)
Congress: 99 (+47)
NDA: 292 (-61)
INDIA: 234 (143)
– After 10 years, the era of coalition government is returning.
– The entire day of counting for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections was thrilling.
– For the third consecutive time, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has secured a majority, but the BJP fell short on its own.
– Even the loss in seats like Ayodhya (Faizabad) raised questions, although some relief was found in the expansion in South India.
– The BJP secured 240 seats and the Congress got 99 seats.
– Both parties are short of the majority mark (272), although the BJP-led NDA got 292 seats.
– Meanwhile, the INDIA bloc secured 234 seats.
Role of Kingmaker After a Long Time
– In 2014 and 2019, the NDA government was in power, and the BJP had a full majority. Because of this, PM Modi made decisions as he wished.
– The 2024 Lok Sabha elections have brought forth two leaders as kingmakers – JDU’s Nitish Kumar and TDP’s N Chandrababu Naidu.
– Even if Narendra Modi’s government is formed, the Prime Minister will have to maintain a balance like a tightrope walker throughout the tenure. Otherwise, the chair’s leg could slip at any time.
How Many Seats Each Party Got
Total seats: 543
– BJP: 240
– Congress: 99
– Samajwadi Party: 37
– Trinamool Congress: 29
– DMK: 22
– TDP: 16
– JDU: 12
– Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction): 9
– NCP (Sharad Pawar): 8
– Shiv Sena (Shinde faction): 7
– LJP: 5
– YSRCP: 4
– RJD: 4
– CPI (M): 4
– AAP: 3
– Others: remaining seats
Seats Won by Alliances
Alliance: 2024: 2019
– NDA: 292 (-61) : 353
– INDIA: 234 (+143) : 91
– Other: 17 (-82) : 99
What Does This Mandate Mean?
– The BJP’s strategy to take the NDA past 400 seats and the party itself past 370 seats has not been successful.
– The mandate indicates that the importance of coalitions has returned after 10 years. The BJP no longer has the numbers on its own to push its agenda forward.
– Exit polls also missed the mark. Out of 11 exit polls, it was estimated that the NDA would get more than 340 seats. In three surveys, it was estimated that the NDA would get 400 Lok Sabha seats. In the trends/results, the NDA is almost 100 seats short of that.
– Issues like employment, inflation, and the constitution dominated.
UP Caused a Major Upset
– Looking at the results of Uttar Pradesh, the most important state, the picture looks different this time.
– Here, the BJP was reduced to 33 seats, while its allies got 3 seats.
– In contrast, the BJP had won 71 seats in 2014 and 62 seats in 2019 here. The biggest loss for the BJP came from this state.
– The alliance of the Samajwadi Party and Congress surprised everyone.
– The INDIA alliance won 43 seats (Samajwadi Party 37 and Congress 6).
– Chandrashekhar Azad of the Azad Samaj Party also achieved a remarkable victory.
States Where BJP Suffered a Setback
– Uttar Pradesh
– Maharashtra
– West Bengal
– Bihar
– Rajasthan
– Punjab
– Haryana
– Jharkhand
————
2. Which party got majority in Odisha Assembly elections?
a. BJP
b. Congress
c. BJD
d. TDP
Answer: a. BJP [78 seats]
– There has been a historic upset in the Odisha Assembly elections.
– The BJP has won 78 seats in the 147-member assembly.
– With this, Naveen Patnaik’s 24-year tenure as Chief Minister of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has come to an end.
– Along with the anti-incumbency wave, there was also anger within the party against former bureaucrat VK Pandian.
Odisha Assembly Election Results
– Total Seats: 147
– BJP: 78
– BJD: 51
– Congress: 14
A Setback for Naveen Patnaik
– Naveen Patnaik has been the Chief Minister of Odisha five times. If he had gotten the chance to become CM for the sixth time, he would have broken the record of Sikkim’s former CM Pawan Chamling and become the longest-serving Chief Minister in India.
Note: The record for taking the oath as CM the most times in the country is held by Nitish Kumar, who has done so nine times. However, this record is not for the longest-serving CM.
Odisha
– Capital: Bhubaneswar
– Governor: Raghubar Das
————-
3. Which party got majority in Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections?
a. BJP
b. Congress
c. YSRCP
d. TDP
Answer: d. TDP (Telugu Desam Party) [135 seats]
– N Chandrababu Naidu, the national president of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), is set to become the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for the fourth time.
– He handed a resounding defeat to YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSR Congress Party in the Assembly elections. YSR Congress was the ruling party until the elections.
– Here, the TDP and JSP (actor Pawan Kalyan’s party) contested the elections together with the NDA.
– N Chandrababu Naidu has also emerged as a kingmaker in the Lok Sabha elections. The TDP won 16 seats.
Andhra Pradesh Assembly Election Result
– Total Seat: 175
– TDP: 135
– JSP: 21
– BJP: 8
– YSRCP: 11
Andhra Pradesh
– Capital: ——-
– Governor: Retired Justice Abdul Nazi
————-
4. Which party got majority in Arunachal Pradesh Assembly elections?
a. BJP
b. Congress
c. NPP
d. PPA
Answer: a. BJP [46 seats]
– Ten BJP candidates including Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Main won unopposed.
– Voting was held on only 50 out of 60 seats.
– BJP won 46 out of 60 seats.
Arunachal Pradesh Assembly Election Result
– Total Seat: 60
– BJP: 46
– NPP: 5
– PPA: 2
– Congress: 1
Arunachal Pradesh
– Capital – Itanagar
– Governor – Kaivalya Vikram Parnaik
————–
5. Which party got majority in Sikkim Assembly elections?
a. BJP
b. Congress
c. SKM
d. SDF
Answer: c. SKM (Sikkim Krantikari Morcha) [31 seats]
– The SKM (Sikkim Krantikari Morcha) has returned to power here.
– Before the elections, this party had broken its alliance with the BJP.
– Once again, Prem Singh Tamang is set to become the Chief Minister here.
Sikkim Assembly Election Results
– Total seats: 32
– SKM: 31
– SDF: 1
Sikkim
– Capital: Gangtok
– Governor: Lakshman Prasad Acharya
————–
6. When is World Environment Day celebrated?
a. 4 June
b. 5 June
c. 6 June
d. 7 June
Answer: b. 5 June
Theme 2024
– Land Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience.
Host Country
– Each year, a host country is designated. In 2024, the host country is Saudi Arabia.
Importance of the Day’s Theme
– The Asia-Pacific region, home to two-thirds of the world’s population, is facing the growing impacts of water scarcity and land degradation.
– Land-use change and land degradation due to factors such as extensive agriculture, deforestation, and uncontrolled urbanization and sprawl are reducing the biodiversity of many land ecosystems.
– This results in large amounts of carbon being sequestered in healthy soil.
– Alterations in waterways, pollution, and unbalanced consumption of water resources are increasing water-related stress and reducing aquatic biodiversity.
– Globally, soil equivalent to the size of a football field is degraded every 5 seconds.
– While it takes 1,000 years to form 3 centimeters of topsoil.
————
7. When is the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression observed?
a. 4 June
b. 5 June
c. 6 June
d. 7 June
Answer: a. 4 June
– The United Nations (UN) observes International Day for Innocent Children Victims of Aggression to raise awareness about children worldwide who are subjected to physical, mental, and emotional abuse.
– In fact, the day was established in 1982 after the violence in Israel left children in Palestine and Lebanon victims of war aggression, prompting Palestine to urge action from the United Nations.
– In 2022, 8,630 children were killed due to war and aggression.
————-
8. Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik announced his retirement from which format of cricket?
a. Test
b. ODI
c. T20I
d. All Formats
Answer: d. All Formats (Test, ODI & T20I)
– Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik announced his retirement from all formats of cricket on June 1, 2024.
– He has also served as the wicketkeeper for the Indian team.
– The wicketkeeper-batsman has played 257 matches in the IPL, scoring 4,842 runs at an average of 26.32.
– Apart from representing the Royal Challengers Bangalore, he has also played for Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Daredevils, and Kings XI Punjab.
– Karthik has scored 1,025 runs in 26 Test matches.
– He has amassed 1,792 runs and nine centuries in 94 One Day Internationals.
– In T20 Internationals, he has scored 686 runs in 60 matches.
————-
9. Name the first woman Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, who retired after 37 years of foreign service?
a. Sejal Gupta
b. Ruchira Kamboj
c. Muskan Agarwal
d. Pawandeep Kaur
Answer: b. Ruchira Kamboj
– After 37 years of foreign service, Ruchira Kamboj retired on June 1, 2024.
– Following her 37 years of service, she worked as an Indian diplomat in Bhutan, South Africa, and UNESCO.
– Ruchira Kamboj assumed the position of India’s Permanent Representative (Permanent Representative) to the United Nations on August 2, 2022.
– She wrote on her social media handle, “Thank you, India, for extraordinary years and unforgettable experiences.”
Ruchira Kamboj
– Ruchira Kamboj is a member of the 1987 batch of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS).
– She has served as India’s ambassador/permanent representative to Bhutan, South Africa, and UNESCO.
– Ruchira was the first female ambassador of India to Bhutan.
– Originally from Lucknow.
Permanent Representative to the UN
– Permanent representatives are the heads of diplomatic missions of member countries to the UN.
– Their office is located in the UN building in New York City, USA.
United Nations
– Secretary-General: António Guterres
– Headquarters: New York, USA
PDF Download: Click here
