With a Government in Karnataka, BJP Paints the Indian Map Saffron

The Congress, meanwhile, has reduced its tally to just two states – Punjab and Mizoram.

With Karnataka, the BJP is dominant in 23 states, either by itself or as part of an alliance.

(Photo: Harsh Sahni/The Quint)

With BS Yeddyurappa taking oath as Chief Minister in Karnataka on Thursday, 17 May, the BJP’s presence across the country has grown by leaps and bounds. The saffron party recently won Tripura, and stitched post-poll alliances in Meghalaya and Nagaland.

With this, the BJP is dominant in 23 states, either by itself or as part of an alliance. These states, put together, make up of more than 70 percent of the country’s population.

The Congress, meanwhile, has been forced to reduce its tally to just two states – Punjab and Mizoram.

(Photo: Harsh Sahni/The Quint)

Before the BJP-led NDA alliance came into power at the Centre, the party ruled merely seven states – Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Nagaland, and Maharashtra.

The states where neither party is in power are Tamil Nadu (AIADMK), Kerala (CPI-M), and Telangana (Telangana Rashtra Samiti), Andhra Pradesh (Telugu Desam Party), (West Bengal (Trinamool Congress), and Odisha (Biju Janata Dal).

With Karnataka out of the way, the BJP will now train its sights on Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, in the run-up to the general elections next year. It is imperative to note that the BJP is incumbent in both states, and currently enjoys power. Whether the two states will pull a Gujarat and stay loyal to the saffron party, remains to be seen.

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