The Bharatiya Janata Party is well on its way to victory in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections, and the party’s presence in India has grown significantly since its advent to power in 2014.
After (almost) winning Himachal Pradesh, the BJP has brought one more state under its belt, marking its presence in 19 states in India today. The Congress, in turn, is dominant in only four states currently – a far cry from its presence in 13 states back in 2014.
Before the BJP came to power in 2014, it held only seven states – Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Nagaland, and Maharashtra.
Today, the only states where it isn’t in power are Tamil Nadu (AIADMK), Kerala (CPI-M), West Bengal (Trinamool Congress), Odisha (Biju Janata Dal), Meghalaya (Congress), Telangana (Telangana Rashtra Samiti), Mizoram (Congress), Nagaland (Naga People's Front), Delhi (Aam Aadmi Party), and Tripura (CPI-M).
Following the loss of Himachal, the Congress can only boast of being in power in only four states – Punjab, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Karnataka.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)