Hyderabad: Fewer votes win more seats

Hyderabad: After a decade, the BJP is back to where it was in the Karnataka Assembly elections. In the 2008 Assembly election as well, the BJP had secured fewer votes but was the single largest party. The Congress landed up second.

Generally, the party that wins the largest vote share also secures the most seats. But one plus one may be 11 or zero in politics. And the BJP in Karnataka has proved it twice.

In the recent elections, the BJP won 104 seats in the elections held for 222 seats in the 224-member House. The Congress won 78. The BJP, however, secured less votes than the Congress which was defeated.

Poll panel data shows the BJP polled 36.2 per cent votes and Congress 38. The BJP got 1.32 crore votes and the Congress 1.38 crore. That means the Congress polled 6.38 crore more votes than the BJP. 

Despite this, the BJP was ahead by 26 seats. In the 2008 Assembly elections, the BJP which secured 104 seats had got 33.86 per cent of the votes. The Congress secured 35.13 per cent of the vote but its tally was stopped at 80 seats. That resulted in the BJP forming government in 2008 in Karnataka for the first time, though it was three seats short of the magic figure.

A small percentage of votes can make big difference. For example in the 2014 AP elections, the TD polled 44.6 per cent and the YSRC polled 44.4. Of the votes polled, the difference was just 0.2 per cent. But the TD won 102 and YSRC, 67 seats.