The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance's elaborate campaigns riding on the punchy 'Ab Ki Baar 400 Paar' slogan failed to create the intended waves, with the ruling alliance struggling to even touch the 300-seat mark in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

From the early trends itself on Tuesday, it became apparent that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's NDA was set to underperform considerably compared to its landslide 2019 verdict when it had won a staggering 353 seats.

While the NDA seemed comfortably placed above the majority mark of 272 required to form government based on the latest updates from the Election Commission, its projected tally was a far cry from the '400 paar (crossing 400)' ambitions fueled by its aggressive campaign pitch.

As per the trends until late evening, the NDA was leading in around 293 seats, a deficit of more than 150 seats compared to its 2019 performance which had given it the first back-to-back full majority in over three decades.

The lower-than-expected score raises doubts over the BJP's formidable election machinery and the diminishing returns of its core majoritarian poll plank revolving around Hindutva and nationalism this time around.

It also brings into focus the impact of regional satraps and opposition alliances fighting more cohesively under the INDIA umbrella in denting the NDA's prospects across multiple states.

While the BJP is still projected to emerge as the single largest party, its underperformance is being seen as a wake-up call for course correction if it intends to strengthen its hegemony in the 2029 polls.

Political analysts suggest that the BJP's failure to breach the psychological 300-mark, which was seen as a low-hanging fruit given its 2019 performance, will dent its negotiating power to forge a stronger coalition for a third straight term.

As hectic parleys begin to stitch up a viable alliance, BJP leaders have kept a studied silence over the '400 paar' slogan which has fallen flat and the reasons for missing the mark by a huge margin.