BJP gains big by new inroads, stunning returns

NEW DELHI: In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP surprised many by making deep inroads into West Bengal and Odisha, considered bastions of the Trinamool Congress and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), respectively. The BJP was leading in 18 of the 42 seats in West Bengal, and 9 out of 21 parliamentary constituencies in Odisha.

The party also repeated it superlative performance in five key Hindi-speaking states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, as the party along with its allies not only bagged or was leading in 165 out of 185 Lok Sabha seats, but also enjoyed a massive vote swing in its favour.

In the 2014, the BJP had won only two parliamentary seats -- Asansol and Darjeeling -- in West Bengal. On the other hand, the ruling Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress was heading for a major setback by leading in only 23 seats. In 2014, it had won 34 seats.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist, which had won two seats in 2014, was staring at a wipe-out. The Congress, which had won four seats in 2014, was leading in one seat.

In Odisha, where the BJP had won one seat in 2014, was leading in nine out of the 21 Lok Sabha seats. The BJD may suffer a setback of eight seats as it was leading in 12 seats.

However, the BJP was unable to make any inroad into Kerala despite riding the Sabarimala temple issue. The Congress-led UDF was leading in 15 of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

The party made stunning returns in five key Hindi-speaking states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, as the party along with its allies not only bagged or was leading in 165 out of 185 Lok Sabha seats, but also enjoyed a massive vote swing in its favour.

The NDA's strike rate of nearly 90 per cent was similar to 2014 when it won 166 of 185 seats, including 73 (BJP 71, Apna Dal 2) out of 80 in Uttar Pradesh.

The NDA won 29 seats and was leading in 35 others in Uttar Pradesh, despite facing the formidable caste arithmetic of SP-BSP-RLD alliance. The party also increased it vote share to a whopping 49.5 per cent in the state, where it won the prized trophy of Amethi, a pocket borough of the Nehru-Gandhi family.

The party also proved wrong the political observers who were of the view that the BJP will find it difficult to repeat its 2014 success in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh after losing power in the three states to the Congress in 2018.

It again swept all 25 seats in Rajasthan, improved its tally by one in Madhya Pradesh by winning or leading in 28 out of 29 seats. In Chhattisgarh, it was ahead in nine of the 11 seats.

BJP leaders have insisted that the support for Modi combined with the three state governments' "unimpressive" performance swung the electoral pendulum in the saffron party's favour.

BJP president Amit Shah had asserted that his party will repeat its sweep of the three states and also do better in Uttar Pradesh.

In Bihar, where the BJP joined hands with the JD(U) this time and sacrificed its winning seats, the party won all 17 seats it contested. The JD(U) bagged 16 while the Lok Janshakti Party got six seats, leaving just one for the rival Congress. The NDA had won 31 out of 40 seats in 2014.

The NDA's vote share also neared 50 per cent in the state with BJP, JD(U) and LJP accounting for 23.6 per cent, 21.8 per cent and 7.9 per cent of votes respectively.

The BJP's vote share jumped to a whopping 58 per cent in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and 50.7 per cent in Chhattisgarh.

The party also swept the three states of Haryana (10 seats), Uttarakhand (5) and Himachal Pradesh (4).

The BJP's vote share in Haryana surged to nearly 60 per cent this year. In 2014, its vote share was 34.7 per cent.

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