India has 29 states and seven Union
territories. Polls are held in these 29 states and two of the Union
Territories, i.e., Delhi and Puducherry.
With Bihar again in its fold, the other states
where the BJP and its allies have their governments now are - Uttar Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Haryana,
Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, Andhra Pradesh (NDA
partner TDP), Jammu & Kashmir (NDA partner PDP), Nagaland (NDA partner NPF)
and Sikkim (NDA partner SDF). The party is number two in Himachal Pradesh and
Delhi.
The BJP and its allies were already ruling
around 70% of India's geographical area with 53% of its population before the
dramatic Bihar development. After an NDA government in Bihar, the area under
the BJP's influence has gone up 73 per cent with 62 per cent Indians residing
here.
The BJP and its allies are now the ruling
party/coalition in 18 Indian states while the Congress, that has ruled India
for almost 55 years in its 70 years of independent, sovereign history, has
shrunk to just five states and one union territory with Karnataka and Punjab as
the only electorally significant states in its fold.
In terms of geographical spread, the Congress
has shrunk to just 13% of Indian territory with only 11% of the country's
population residing in areas ruled by it.
The BJP along with its allies is now in all
corners of the country with its state governments, in north India, in central
India, in south India, in West India, in east India and in north-east India,
the footprint the Congress enjoyed earlier while the Congress has reduced to
only few pockets.
Other big states barring Karnataka and Punjab
are all with the regional parties who have chosen not to ally with the Congress
- Tamil Nadu (AIADMK), Telangana (TRS), West Bengal (AITC), Odisha (BJD) and
Kerala (Left Front). In fact, the governments of Tamil Nadu and Telangana have
shown clean NDA tilt on multiple occasions.
Also, elections in Karnataka are due early
next year and its prospects don't look good and there are very real chances
that the huge anti-incumbency against the Congress led government will allow
the BJP to easily win the state. The other states in the Congress fold are all
smaller states, i.e., Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram with union territory Puducherry.
©SantoshChaubey
