Tripura, Nagaland in its kitty, BJP now rules 21 out of 29 states; Congress left with four Saturday March 03,2018

With the BJP wresting power from the 25-year-old CPI(M) government in Tripura, once an impregnable citadel of the Left Front, and likely to form the government with its ally the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party in Nagaland, the saffron party now stands to control 21 of the 29 states.

Presently, the Congress remains in power in just four states: Punjab, Karnataka, Meghalaya and Mizoram. However, this figure could be altered as the Meghalaya verdict hangs in the balance amid NPP’s stiff competition to the grand old party.

Never before has any political party controlled as many states in India. 24 years ago, the Congress remained at the helm of affairs in 18 states

Since BJP stormed to power in May 2014, Narendra Modi has led the saffron party to major state election victories, thereby, expanding the party’s base

For the BJP, the back-to-back victory is a reaffirmation of Narendra Modi’s 2014 Lok Sabha election campaign slogan of Congress-free India

Ever since BJP came to power at the Centre, it has wrested power from Congress in states like Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Assam, Manipur. Congress suffered its worst loss in Maharashtra, where it ruled for over 15 years. The saffron party also trounced Akhilesh Yadav’s government in India’s largest state Uttar Pradesh.

 The latest victories come on the heels of retaining power for the sixth straight term in Gujarat and snatching Himachal Pradesh from the Congress two months ago

Under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, the Congress suffered its first losses in Gujarat and Himachal, though the grand-old-party produced a resurgent performance in Narendra Modi’s citadel in Gujarat.

In all previous elections, Rahul led the poll campaign but it was then Congress presidentSonia Gandhi and her lieutenant Ahmed Patel who managed the show.