Lotus blooms, grand old party wilts: India’s political map updated

With the BJP winning three out of the four states that went to the polls, the saffron party is now in power on its own in a dozen states across India. Meanwhile, the Congress, which lost in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh on Sunday, has been reduced to just three states. The BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modi – whose ascent to national politics in 2014 changed the political dynamics across the country – has powered to victory in the Hindi heartland yet again. The Congress, which for decades dominated the political landscape, has been reduced to a shell of its former self. The states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) now account for almost half of the 543 Lok Sabha seats, while just two states – which comprise less than 50 Lok Sabha seats – are now governed by parties not aligned with either the NDA or the Opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). Let’s take a closer look at India’s updated political map: Where is Congress ruling? The grand old party rules just three states now on its own: Karnataka: The Congress took the state away from the BJP’s kitty in May. Elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly saw the Congress nab 135 seats, while the BJP and the former prime minister H D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) received 66 and 19 seats respectively. Himachal Pradesh: The Congress in December wrested Himachal Pradesh from the BJP. The grand old party won 40 seats in the 68-member Assembly as the hill state maintained it tradition of not voting any government to power since 1985. Telangana: The Congress received its only silver cloud in an otherwise darkened sky on Sunday in Telangana – where it is poised to form a government. The Congress, as part of a coalition, governs two other states: Bihar: The Congress in Bihar is the alliance partner of the Janata Dal United led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Kumar, who was earlier allied with the BJP, is a master of switching sides – earning him the sobriquet of Paltu Ram. Jharkhand: In Jharkhand, the Congress is part of an alliance with the JMM and the RJD. Tamil Nadu: The Congress is an ally of the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu but does not share power in the government. Where does BJP reign? The BJP, which is at the Centre, rules in a dozen states: Uttarakhand: The BJP in March created history by becoming the only party to retain power for a second consecutive term in the state since its formation. The party won 47 out of 70 seats as Pushkar Singh Dhami, despite losing his own seat, was sworn in for a second term.

Haryana: The BJP in Haryana is led by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar who in 2019 took the oath of office for a second time. The BJP had won 40 seats in the 90-member Assembly while the JJP had nabbed 10, the Congress received just three and INLD and the Haryana Lokhit Party had got one each. Gujarat: The BJP in Gujarat is led by Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel. The party in December won a seventh straight term with a record 156 seats in the 182-member House. Goa: The BJP in March won 20 seats in the 40-member Goa Assembly. Its three-time MLA Pramod Sawant, who led the party to victory, was sworn in as the state’s chief minister for the second time. Assam: The BJP in 2021 returned to power in Assam in the first Assembly election after the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. The party picked Himanta Biswa Sarma as the 15th Chief Minister of Assam. Tripura: The BJP had captured the Left bastion in 2018 – which it then retained in March. Seventy-year-old BJP leader Manik Saha is chief minister of the sensitive border state. The BJP won 32 seats in the Assembly elections in Tripura, while its ally IPFT managed to secure just one seat. Manipur: The party in March formed the first-ever BJP government in Manipur under Chief Minister N Biren Singh after the Assembly election threw up a hung house. Arunachal Pradesh: The BJP in 2019 won the state in a landslide – nabbing 41 seats in the 60-member Assembly. The state is governed by Chief Minister Pema Khandu. Madhya Pradesh: The BJP is set to form a government in Madhya Pradesh for the fifth time as the party absolutely decimated the Congress on Sunday. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is the firm favourite to return as chief minister. Rajasthan: The BJP made a grand comeback in Rajasthan on Sunday. The saffron party won 115 seats out of the 199 where Assembly elections were held as the Congress lost its grip on power in the state. Chhattisgarh: The BJP on Sunday wrested power from Congress in Chhattisgarh. The promises made by the BJP, which it promoted as ‘Modi ki Guarantee 2023’, seemed to have worked in its favour in the tribal-dominated state, where it won a thumping majority. The BJP is also part of the ruling coalition in four other states: Maharashtra: In Maharashtra, the BJP has tied up with the Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena to form the government. Meghalaya: In Meghalaya, the BJP is part of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance 2.0 which has Chief Minister and NPP supremo Conrad Sangma as its chairman. Nagaland: Nagaland is ruled by an alliance between the Nationalist Democratic People’s Party and the BJP. In March, the NDPP won 25 seats and the BJP won 12 seats to bag 37 seats in the 60-member Assembly. Sikkim: The BJP has stitched up an alliance with the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) in Sikkim. However, the saffron party has vowed to go it alone for the upcoming Assembly elections in April. AAP second-biggest Opposition party Sunday’s poll results also consolidated the AAP’s position as a major political party, making it the second-biggest Opposition party with governments in Delhi and Punjab. “After today’s results, Aam Aadmi Party emerges as the largest Opposition party in north India with 2 state governments – Punjab and Delhi,” party leader Jasmine Shah said on X. There are six national parties currently – BJP, Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), CPI(M), National People’s Party (NPP) and AAP. The next round of Assembly polls will be held in 2024. Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh will go to polls next year while the Assembly election is also pending in Jammu and Kashmir. As several MPs contested the Assembly polls in this round, those seats in the Lok Sabha are expected to get vacant. However, since the general election will be held next year, no bypoll will be announced even if the MPs vacate their seats after being elected as MLAs. With inputs from agencies