New Delhi, May 24: Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) registered a landslide victory for a second term in office, as his message of nationalism, security, hindu pride and a new India was wholeheartedly embraced by voters across large swathes of the country.
The BJP has bettered its show this time as its vote share in several states, including Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana, is well over 50 per cent, nothing short of a statistical wonder in Indian electoral history.
In almost all states where BJP won, its vote share was more than 50 per cent. According to preliminary data available on the Election Commission (EC) website, the national vote share of the party surged higher than its 2014 vote share which stood at 31.34 per cent. As per the preliminary estimates, the BJP has significantly improved its national vote share from 31.34 per cent in 2014 to a new record high, while there appeared to be only a marginal change in case of the Congress from its 19.5 per cent score of the last elections. The Congress vote share, however, began to dip after that with its voting percentage dropping to 39.5 per cent in 1989 and further to 20s between 1996 and 2009, and even below that mark in 2014. The results are a ringing endorsement of Modi's popularity, his government's achievements in the last five years and his campaign, which centred around national security following the Balakot air strikes, nationalism and hindutva.