The recently concluded 2024 Lok Sabha polls in India have taken pollsters and political analysts by surprise. While Prime Minister Modi is set to begin his third term in office, his party, the BJP, fell short of securing a clear majority as it had in the past two terms. The BJP needs allies to form the government.

In the latest episode of the ANI podcast with Smita Prakash, the much-awaited "Samosa Caucus" returns with its familiar lineup of guests. Joining the discussion are Sushant Sareen, senior fellow at ORF; Tehseen Poonawalla, TV personality and political analyst; Anand Ranganathan, an author and scientist; and Abhijit Iyer-Mitra, senior fellow at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies.

This episode will delve into the factors behind the BJP's failure to secure a majority and analyze the success of the opposition INDIA alliance, as well as the resurgence of Rahul Gandhi in the Indian political arena. Guests also discuss who the biggest losers and winners are in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

How will a coalition government look with Narendra Modi at the helm? Will the BJP be able to take big decisions as it has promised in its manifesto? Will Modi be able to carry allies with their own demands and political ambitions? What lessons should the BJP learn?

(0:00) Introduction1:00Samosa Caucus 3.0

(3:31) Election Results6:50Development Vs. Local Issues

(10:20) 2024 Lok Sabha Results

(16:20) Exit Polls21:00Nitish Kumar Memes

(22:26) What Went Wrong for BJP?

(28:20) BJP's 'Mistakes'31:12:00Jail' Experience35:12:00Tamil Nadu Politics

(37:10) RSS Involvement in Elections

(40:20) Manish Tiwari Controversy

(41:40) Smriti Irani's Defeat

(44:20) Wealth Redistribution' Row

(47:30) Constitution Row

(52:44) Rahul Gandhi's Resurgence

(53:50) Akhilesh's Game Plan

(55:15) JD(U) & TDP Legacy

(58:00) Agniveer Scheme

(1:00:06) Future of 'Welfarism'

(1:02:00) Temple Politics & Reforms

(1:05:15) Dalits in India1:07:20Consumption Patterns & Data

(1:12:40) Malnourishment in India

(1:17:50) Priyanka Gandhi Factor

(1:20:45) Modi 3.0 Foreign Policy

(1:22:52) Khalistan1:28:10Kashmir Politics1:33:40India's 'Drug' Problem

(1:36:50) Indian Police System

(1:40:00) Solutions for Kashmir

(1:47:14) Counter-Insurgency in India

(1:48:30) BJP's Bengal Failure

(1:56:59) YouTubers Influencing Elections?

(2:01:40) Legacy Media Becoming Irrelevant?

(2:06:49) Sanatana Row2:08:30BJP's Political Ethics

(2:13:35) YouTubers Impact

(2:15:10) Rigged Exit Polls?

(2:17:04) Abhijeet's Peacock Dance

(2:22:00) Pune Porsche Row

(2:24:00) Need for Judicial Reforms?

(2:28:28) Closing Remarks

Polls just concluded in India—the world's largest democracy. Exit polls predict NDA's return, but what is the ground reality? What factors boosted BJP led NDA coalition? We will have all these answers and more from three seasoned ANI journalists, who extensively covered the Indian elections.

Joining the discussion are Ashoke Raj, Siddharth Sharma, and Suchitra Mukherjee. Ashoke shares election insights from Punjab and Karnataka, Siddharth has covered polls in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Kerala, while Suchitra reported on the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.

In this episode of the ANI podcast with Smita Prakash, the three ANI journalists delve into their experiences covering the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. They offer insights into the successes and challenges of the NDA and INDIA alliances and discuss the ground realities in the states they covered.

(0:00) Introduction

(0:28) North-South Divide

(3:44) Who'll win Karnataka?

(7:38) Siddaramaiah Schemes

(13:10) BJP's '400 Paar' Slogan

(14:39) Political Rallies Truth

(19:30) SP-Congress Alliance

(21:02) Why Priyanka didn't fight

(26:30) INDIA VS NDA in UP

(29:30) Rahul's Nyay Yatra

(33:17) Kanhaiya's future in Congress

(38:32) Mood in Punjab44:15:00The Modi Factor47:30:00K-Backer Amritpal

(53:30) Punjab's Chitta economy

(57:30) Odisha Exit poll1:00:50Cong Himachal govt to go?

(1:05:20) Rae Bareli & Amethi

(1:11:30) Personal Attacks in Polls

(1:15:20) Piyush Goyal 'Blushing' Story

(1:17:50) Main Issues in Bengal

(1:28:13) Maharashtra politics

(1:34:41) Exit Polls fallout1:45:30BJP vs Congress Cadres

(1:48:20) Reporter Challenges

(1:58:06) No interviews by Rahul

(2:05:10) Exit polls or exact polls?

Anurag Singh Thakur is a BJP MP in the Lok Sabha representing the Hamirpur constituency in Himachal Pradesh. He currently holds the positions of Minister of Sports, Youth Affairs, and Minister of Information and Broadcasting in the Second Modi Ministry. His father, Prem Kumar Dhumal, was a former Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh.

Previously, Thakur has also served as Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs. Additionally, he was the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from May 2015 to February 2017.

In this episode of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Anurag Thakur discusses the development in Himachal Pradesh during the NDA rule. He also criticized Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, stating that Congress promises in the state remain unfulfilled and accusing him of politicizing the Himachal flood situation.

Thakur also emphasizes PM Modi's popularity, particularly among women voters, and highlights the benefits of the Agnipath scheme for the country's youth, discussing its potential impact on the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

(0:00) Introduction1:00Fifth Term MP?3:31Amit Shah's Appreciation

(5:47) Popularity Among Voters

(7:15) Modi Developing HP?

(12:58) Agnipath Scheme

(16:58) Gandhis Took Chinese Money?

(19:24) Atmanirbhar in Defence...

(22:32) Modi's Women Voters

(27:45) HP Congress Govt. is a Laughing Stock

(32:13) Kargil War35:11:00Himachal is Veerbhumi

(36:49) We Can Raze Pak Down To Dust

(40:05) Who Will Win LS Polls 2024?

(45:05) Foreign Media's Election Coverage

(47:13) INDIA Alliances's Ban List

(49:28) Social Media Influencing Elections?

(50:50) Personal Attacks in Election Campaigns

(52:22) Constitution Amendment Row

(54:30) Sansad Mobile Swasthya Seva

(58:42) Cricket Career0:59:43I Will Win...1:01:10PM Modi's Commitment

(1:04:42) Family is My Asset