INDIA Dominates South India

Hyderabad: The Congress-led INDIA block dominated the south Indian electoral landscape by bagging 77 out of 128 seats spread across five states and one Union Territory. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance romped through victory in 49 seats, especially on the back of its stellar performance in Andhra Pradesh and decent tally in Karnataka.

The INDIA performance in Tamil Nadu was exceptional with the alliance sweeping the southern state completely by 39 out of 39 seats. The DMK won 22 seats, followed by Congress in nine, two each by the CPI, CPI(M) and anti-casteist Tamil party Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and one by Vaiko’s MDMK. The lone seat in Puducherry also went to the Congress.

The Congress-led UDF dominated in Kerala, marginalising the rival Left alliance LDF. Out of 21 seats in Kerala, the UDF allies won 19 seats. The formidable Left alliance won just one seat.

The dualistic electoral sage of Kerala, however, got spiced with the BJP winning its first ever seat in the state. Malayalam actor Suresh Gopi gave the first seat from Kerala to the BJP by defeating his nearest rival and CPI(M) candidate V.S. Sunil Kumar by 74,686 votes.

The NDA, led by the Telugu Desam, nearly swept Andhra Pradesh by bagging 21 out of 25 seats in the state. The Telugu Desam won 16 seats, followed by the BJP three and the Jana Sena two. The YSRC, led by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, won four seats.

In Karnataka, the BJP continued its domination with a reduced tally. Compared to its spectacular performance in the 2019 elections, the BJP lost eight seats to Congress this time. The BJP won 17 seats, and its partner Janata Dal (Secular) got two seats. The Congress, which is the ruling party in the state, won nine seats, disappointing the state Congress leaders who expected a better performance in the wake of the party’s welfare schemes.

Telangana almost became a two-party state with the decimation of K. Chandrashekhar Rao’s Bharat Rashtra Samithi that drew blank. It was a photo finish for the Congress and the BJP, with both the parties winning eight seats each. The AIMIM, meanwhile, held on to its traditional Hyderabad seat.