BJP Sweeps Assembly Polls in Four States, Kejriwal's AAP Scores Big in Punjab

State assembly elections in five Indian states - Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa, and Manipur - were held from 10 February to 7 March. In Uttar Pradesh, the voting was done in seven phases, while in Manipur it was in two phases. Polling in Uttarakhand, Punjab, and Goa was conducted in single phase.

The results of state assembly polls held in five Indian states were announced on Thursday. The federally governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) managed to retain its hold of government in four states, while Delhi’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) made a clean sweep in Punjab.

More than 185 million people voted in these states.

After the results were announced, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, federal Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president J.P. Nadda, and other senior leaders reached the party headquarters in Delhi.

While addressing party workers, Prime Minister Modi said, "it is a 'victory 4' by our National Democratic Alliance (NDA) workers. Today is a day of celebration. This festival is for democracy".

The NDA is an alliance between the BJP and other political parties.

Earlier in the day, BJP and AAP workers engaged in celebrations even before the results were announced.

As the BJP recorded a historic victory, India’s main opposition party Congress couldn’t even manage to retain government in Punjab.

Former party president Rahul Gandhi “humbly accepted the mandate” as he said that his party would continue to work for the people’s interest.

Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi Tweet After Lose

BJP’s Historic Victory in Uttar Pradesh

In Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) comfortably won the state assembly polls. This is the first time in 37 years that a government repeats a term in the state. The BJP was up against the state’s main opposition party, the Samajwadi Party (SP), Congress, and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

The BJP crossed the majority mark with 202 assembly seats out of 403, while the SP managed to win only 110 seats.

Uttar Pradesh Election Result

© Photo : Election Commission Of India

In the last assembly elections, the BJP secured a thumping victory by winning 312 seats, whereas the SP won 47 seats, and Congress could bag only nine seats.

BJP politician Ashwini Upadhyay termed the party’s victory in four out of five states as a victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” ("Collective Efforts, Inclusive Growth") vision.

Upadhyay told Sputnik: “The results of the Uttar Pradesh elections clearly show that people can’t be divided in the name of religion and caste. Our governments in all the states have worked for the development of the people irrespective of caste and religion”.

“I am very confident that very soon the time will come when no other party will be able to defeat the BJP”, he added.

BJP Retains Uttarakhand for First Time

This is the first time a party has managed to win state assembly elections for a second consecutive term in the Himalayan state. Although, the BJP easily won the election, its state chief Pushkar Singh Dhami lost his seat in the Khatima constituency.

Uttarakhand Election Result

© Election Commission Of India

After Congress was unable to defeat the BJP, former state chief and Congress General Secretary Harish Rawat took responsibility for the party’s dismal performance.

AAP’s Resounding Victory in Punjab

The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party AAP registered a historic win in Punjab by dislodging Congress from power. The AAP won 92 out of 117 seats in the state.

Punjab Election Result

© Photo : Election Commission Of India

Meanwhile, prominent faces from other parties, including former state chief Amarinder Singh, outgoing state chief Charanjit Singh Channi, Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Prakash Singh Badal, and Sukhbir Singh Badal, lost their seats to AAP candidates.

Speaking to Sputnik, AAP spokesperson Dilip Pandey described the party’s win as a “big revolution”.

“This shows the faith of people in the AAP and their trust in Delhi’s governance model”, Pandey said.

The AAP is the governing party in Delhi and this is the first time it has won an election outside the national capital.

BJP Emerges as Single Largest Party in Goa

The BJPemerged as the single largest party in Goa, as it won 20 seats out of 40. However, despite falling short of the majority mark by one seat, the party has been tasked with forming the government with the help of the Maharashtrwadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and victorious independent candidates.

Goa Election Result

© Photo : Election Commission Of India

BJP Defies Anti-Incumbency in Manipur

The BJP secured a majority as it managed to win 32 out of 60 seats in India’s north-eastern state of Manipur.

Manipur Election Result

© Photo : Election Commission Of India

This is the first time that the BJP contested the election alone, whereas Congress formed an alliance with five other political parties, including the Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), Forward Bloc, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), and Janata Dal (Secular).

In the 2017 state election, Congress emerged as the single largest party, winning 28 seats, followed by the BJP with 21 seats. But later, the BJP stitched together a coalition with the National People’s Party (NPP), Naga People’s Front (NPF), and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) to form a government.