BJP Becomes 1st Party in Almost 4 Decades to Cross 300-Mark in UP

Interestingly, the two earlier instances were Congress victories — 309 in 1980 and 388 in 1959.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah. (Photo: Reuters)

It’s being called a Bharatiya Janata Party wave in Uttar Pradesh, with the party winning 319 seats in the state. In fact, the party has registered first-time wins in Saharanpur and Muslim majority Deoband. But BJP’s win is also significant in UP’s electoral history; its only the third time that any party has managed to win more than 300 seats in the state.

Interestingly, both times they were Congress victories – 309 in 1980 and 388 in 1951. Now, in 2017, the Congress and Samajwadi Party are at a mere 65 seats, with the BJP creating history.