Under the leadership of PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, the BJP won several elections which were considered almost impossible to win for the saffron party. Powered by the Modi-wave, the BJP won Delhi, one of the toughest poll battles.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on February 8 did something for what it has been waiting for 27 years. The saffron party conquered one of the last and strongest fortresses in the country by winning Delhi, the capital of the country. Arresting the popularity of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and his freebies, the saffron party astonished everyone by winning 48 seats in the 70-member Delhi Assembly.
The Delhi victory was extraordinary for the BJP. Since the ascendant of the duo – Narendra Modi and Amit Shah – over national politics from Gujarat in 2014, the BJP reinvented and rebooted itself. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, the BJP always remains in combating mode to win one after another election. In the Modi-era, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the BJP not only won three successive Lok Sabha elections but also major states, some of which were almost invincible.
At pick in the Modi-era, the BJP, in 2018, saw a magnificent high as it was in power in as many as 22 states across India.
However, there were a few fortresses which remained a challenge to conquer for the BJP. West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Delhi were among them. With the Delhi win, the BJP looks confident to win other tough electoral battles.
The Delhi triumph reminds the BJP’s remarkable victories in the past.
Here’s the list of some poll-battles won by the BJP, which were considered formidable, scripting history in the Indian polity:
Uttar Pradesh: Before the Modi era in 2014, the BJP was standing in third position after the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). But, in the assembly elections 2017, the saffron stormed to power dislodging the SP government and since the party, under the leadership of Yogi Adityanath is in power. The BJP alliance won 325 seats and the BJP alone won 312 in the 403-seat assembly in Uttar Pradesh.
Tripura: Tripura was an invincible fortress of the Left for 25 years. In 2018, the BJP defeated the CPI(M) government, creating history. The BJP succeeded in penetrating the Left vote-bank. Biplab Kumar Deb replaced Left stalwart Manik Sarkar – one of longest serving chief ministers in the country.
Odisha: With BJD chief Naveen Patnaik at the helm in the state, it always looks like a distant dream for the BJP to come to power. But, in the assembly elections 2024, the saffron party miraculously emerged victorious, ending the 24-year-long dominance of Patnaik. The BJP won 78 seats, while the BJD reduced to 51 seats.
Assam: There was a perception that Northeaster states always prefer politics around secularism, subsequently favouring Congress or local parties. But, the advent of the Modi-era changed the political landscape in the region. The biggest state of the region, Assam saw drastic changes in its polity. The BJP formed its first government in the state in 2016 and since the saffron party has been in power.
Maharashtra: In Maharashtra, the BJP was the third-largest party in the 2009 elections. Although it passed its ally Shiv Sena in terms of seats, it was still not a dominant faction in Maharashtra as it was unable to form the government on its own. But in the wake of the Modi-wave that swept the country in Lok Sabha elections in 2014, BJP won 122 seats in state assembly. It fell short of absolute majority by 23 seats but delivered its best performance. For the first time in party’s history, it got the post of the chief minister. Devendra Fadnavis became the chief minister. In 2019, BJP repeated its performance by becoming the single largest party. After a short debacle due to break up with long-term ally Shiv Sena, the BJP won 132 seats in the 2024 elections and acquired the position to form the government on its own.
Jammu and Kashmir: Under PM Modi’s leadership, the BJP managed to deliver its best and unprecedented performance by winning 25 seats in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. For the first time, the BJP formed the government in the northernmost state, although in coalition with Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP.
