Saffron splashed across 19 states: A look at how the BJP has evolved in three years

BJP

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s triumph in the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections has not only proven that the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah juggernaut is still rolling but also changed the political map of India further.

The results come as a respite for the saffron party after what was considered by many as a bitterly fought contest in Gujarat.

On the other hand, the polls in Himachal Pradesh were seen as largely subdued. Opinion polls had suggested that the party was expected to win in Himachal Pradesh by a landslide.

Exit polls in Gujarat had shown that BJP was likely to win the polls but it came after a November opinion poll that predicted a photo-finish for the ruling party in the state.

With wins in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, the BJP now has governments in 19 states across the country.

The 'Modi Tsunami'

The saffron party and its allies have been on a roll since the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) came to power in May 2014. As a result, the political map of India is now splashed with saffron.

Prior to the win in the General Election, BJP was already in power in five states – Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Nagaland.

However, 2014 was the year that changed it all for the BJP. The BJP came to power in the Centre with its largest mandate, in what many described as a "Modi Tsunami". The saffron party won 282 seats, while its allies winning 54 seats, taking the NDA's tally to 336.

For an in-depth analysis of the Assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, click here.

The effects of the 'Modi Tsunami' continued to be felt as a "Modi Wave" in the state elections that followed.

BJP's ally, the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) also retained the state of Sikkim in the election that was held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls. Another BJP ally, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) also formed bifurcated Andhra Pradesh's first government.

The Modi juggernaut

Five months after the General Election, the BJP won 122 seats in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly. They formed the government in Maharashtra following a post-poll alliance with NDA ally Shiv Sena. The party also came to power in the northern state of Haryana after winning 47 seats in a 90-member assembly.

BJP along with its allies, secured a majority in the Jharkhand Assembly election, shortly after.

The party was the second-best performer in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, behind Mehbooba Mufti-led People's Democratic Party (PDP). A post-poll alliance with the PDP, helped BJP come to power in the state.

By the end of the year, BJP had extended its reach to 11 states across the country.

In 2015, BJP's growth story witnessed two major hiccups when they faced crushing defeats in Delhi and Bihar, in spite of extensive campaigning by the prime minister.

While BJP ended a 15-year Congress rule in Assam in 2016, the party failed to make a mark in the other three major state elections in West Bengal, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. However, BJP supporters were quick to point out that the saffron party did not have adequate reach in those states.

In September 2016, Arunachal Pradesh's 47 Members of Legislative (MLAs) from the ruling Congress, defected to BJP. The lawmakers were able to prove majority on the floor of the house, helping BJP form a government in the hill state.

For latest 2017 Gujarat Election result updates, click here.

In 2017, BJP bagged Uttarakhand and won a large mandate in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The party lost in Punjab after two terms of rule along with ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

It was in Goa and Manipur that the BJP won lesser seats that main rival Congress. But, the party was quick to stitch together an alliance with regional parties and independents, to form a government in both states.

The Coup in Bihar

In July this year, Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar, resigned from his post and broke his party's 'Grand Alliance' with Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress.

Nitish was sworn in as the new Chief Minister less than 24 hours after he resigned, but this time with the support of the BJP. The following day, Nitish and his new government, formed with the BJP, won the crucial trust vote in the Bihar State Assembly, with 131 legislators voting in favour and 108 voting against.

Challenges on the horizon

While BJP unlatched itself across the country, the biggest loser was the Congress party, which kept losing state after state. Karnataka is currently the only large state that is being governed by the Congress.

As many as eight Indian states will head for polls in 2018 including Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Mizoram.

The BJP would be fighting anti-incumbency in states such as Madhya Pradesh as well as Chhattisgarh.

The saffron party has also started making inroads into southern and eastern states of India, where the party has traditionally lacked support. The party had already stitched together an alliance with smaller regional parties of the North Eastern states called North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA).