Is the BJP unlikely to hit the 272-mark by itself in 2024 elections?

While the focus is on the big picture in the 2024 election, which has gone contrary to what the exit polls indicated, there is one figure that is still hanging fire: the BJP's tally. 

At 2pm, the number is hovering around the 235 mark. That is 37 seats short of the half-way mark. While there is little doubt that the NDA as a whole has the numbers to form the governement, the BJP by itself falling short of the important half-way mark will cause embarrassment to both the party as well its most popular face, Prime Minister Narendra Modi.