Shocks And Surprises To BJP In Elections

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's NDA won a third term but fell 32 seats short of the 272-seat majority in the Lok Sabha securing 293 seats against the Congress led INDIA bloc's 233. 

The Congress improved its tally to 99 seats from 52 in 2019. This contrasts sharply with the 2019 results where the NDA won 353 seats including 303 by the BJP alone.

Surprise Gains for BJP:

Kerala: The BJP won its first seat in the state with Suresh Gopi's victory in Thrissur by over 72,000 votes. The party's vote share rose to 16.67% from 12.93% in 2019.

Andhra Pradesh: An alliance with TDP and Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena Party helped the BJP win three out of six contested seats achieving a 13.07% vote share.

Odisha: The BJP won 20 out of 21 Lok Sabha seats, ending BJD's dominance. The BJP also secured a majority in the Odisha Assembly winning 78 seats ending Naveen Patnaik's 24 year tenure.

Surprise Losses for BJP:

Maharashtra: The BJP's allies won 17 out of 48 seats down from 23 in 2019 while the opposition MVA coalition secured 30 seats.

Uttar Pradesh: The BJP won 33 seats down from 62 in 2019 with a reduced vote share of 41.37%. The SP and Congress together won 43 seats.

West Bengal: The BJP's tally fell to 12 seats from 18 in 2019, as the Trinamool Congress won 29 seats. Notable BJP leaders, including two Union ministers, lost their seats.