BJP Vs Congress: Who Performed Better In South India? Report Card

The BJP has emerged as the single largest party in the 545-member Lok Sabha. In the results announced on Tuesday, the ruling party has secured 240 seats, falling short of the majority mark by 32 seats.

Where as the Congress has for the third time in a row has failed to secure a double-digit seat count. It won 99 seats, up from 52 in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

BJP Vs Congress in South India

Before the elections, there has been a lot of debate on the North-South divide with the Opposition parties targeting the BJP as a "north Indian party". However, the saffron party, in order to change the perception, put in its best efforts and carried out a focused campaign aimed at wooing South Indian voters.

The BJP notably focused its attention on Tamil Nadu during the recent election campaigns, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ministers making multiple visits to the state. Has this strategy proven successful? Let's examine the performance of both the ruling party and the Congress in South India.

Tamil Nadu:
Despite the BJP's concerted efforts, its performance in Tamil Nadu fell short of expectations. Without a major alliance with Dravidian parties, the BJP collaborated with smaller parties. Exit polls had anticipated the BJP winning 1-5 seats; however, the party failed to secure any seats. State BJP president K Annamalai's defeat by over a lakh votes in Coimbatore underscored the challenge. Nevertheless, the BJP's silver lining was securing an 11.24% vote share. In contrast, the Congress, in alliance with the DMK, secured victory in all nine contested seats, with a vote share of 10.67%.

Andhra Pradesh:
In Andhra Pradesh, the BJP made significant headway, winning three seats in alliance with the TDP and Jana Sena. The NDA, comprising BJP, TDP, and Jana Sena, secured 21 out of 25 seats, with the YSRCP winning the remaining four seats. However, the Congress failed to win any seats, with the TDP securing a 37.79% vote share and the YSRCP obtaining 39.61%. Notably, the BJP secured an 11.28% vote share, while the Congress managed only 2.66%.

Kerala:
In Kerala, the BJP secured its first seat with actor Suresh Gopi winning the Thrissur seat. Meanwhile, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) swept the state, winning 18 out of 20 seats. The Congress alone secured a 35.06% vote share, while the BJP achieved its highest-ever vote share of 16.68%.

Telangana:
The BJP's performance in Telangana witnessed an improvement, with its seat tally increasing from four to eight compared to the 2019 polls. Additionally, its vote share surged from 19.45% to 35.08%.

Karnataka:
In Karnataka, where the BJP won 25 seats in 2019, the party, in alliance with the JDS, secured 17 seats. The JDS won two seats, while the Congress secured nine, compared to its previous tally of three. Notably, the BJP's vote share stood at 46.06%, closely followed by the Congress at 45.43%.

Overall Report Card:
In total, the BJP secured 29 seats, while the Congress won 40 seats. This outcome mirrors the 2019 results, where the BJP secured 29 seats despite failing to make gains in Andhra, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, while the Congress won 31 seats.

Overall, the BJP has increased its imprint in South India.