BJP allies do well, shore up NDA numbers
In line with the Bharatiya Janata Party's grand performance in the general election, its allies across the country have also by and large turned in smart numbers. Given that the BJP has secured more than half the parliamentary seats, it would have easily been able to form the Government by itself. But the success of its allies is important to acknowledge, for it makes the party's victory a more comprehensive one. It reiterates the strength and force of the ‘Modi wave' which propelled the regional allies to new heights, and it also helps the BJP break new ground in different parts of the country. Take the BJP’s alliances in Maharashtra as an example. Of the 48 lok Sabha seats in the State, the BJP won 23, while the Shiv Sena got 18 (of the 22 that it had contested). This is an improvement for both parties on their 2009 tally. Additionally, the BJP also struck alliances with two smaller parties in the State — the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghtana led by Mr Raju Shetty and the Republican Party of India (Athavale) led by Dalit leader Ramdas Athavale. The former won the only seat that it had contested while the latter, according to the BJP's internal assessment, added four per cent to the NDA's vote share in the State. This pattern has also been noted in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. While the BJP swept both States on its own — it won 22 of the 40 seats in Bihar and 71 of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh — its allies also put up an impressive show. In Bihar, Mr Ram Vilas Paswan's lok Janshakti Party has mopped up six seats while Mr Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya lok Samta Party secured three. Between the two of them, they have won nine of the 10 seats they contested. In Uttar Pradesh, the Apna Dal, which won both the seats it contested, has a similar story to tell. While its two seats may seem insignificant in the larger NDA kitty, the Kurmi supporters that the party brings helps broaden the social base of the BJP.
In Andhra Pradesh, the BJP's grouping with the TDP has brought 19 lok Sabha seats to the NDA's kitty. Of these, 16 belong to the TDP and three to the BJP. This is a significant development. The BJP generally has had trouble gaining a stable foothold south of the Vindhyas, but with a strong regional partner the party seems to have a better chance. Notably, the BJP and the TDP were allies in the previous NDA Government (like Mr Paswan had been) but had since drifted apart. While the BJP sat in Opposition in Delhi for a decade, the TDP too failed to secure a popular mandate on its own, resulting in a lacklustre showing for both outfits in the 2004 and 2009 general elections. But as the Modi wave spread across north India this time around, a re-alliance in the south with the TDP's Chandrababu Naidu, who is also known for his development record, seemed to be in the natural flow of things. Indeed, the gains from the tie-up are already showing in the Assembly election result, as the TDP, along with the BJP, is expected to rule Seemandhra. The only State where the BJP or its ally put up a somewhat less than stellar performance was in Punjab where senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley lost to Captain Amarinder Singh of the Congress for the battle of Amritsar. But here too, the BJP-Shiromani Akali Dal alliance held its ground, winning six out of the 13.