The incumbent NDA swept the Bihar Assembly polls to return to power in the state, winning 202 of 243 seats while reducing the Opposition Mahagathbandhan to just 35 seats. The BJP was at the forefront of the NDA’s victory, bagging 89 seats, followed by the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led JD(U)’s 85 and the Chirag Paswan-led LJP(RV)’s 19 seats.
Among the Mahagathbandhan parties, the lead player RJD’s tally plunged to 25, with the Congress managing to get only 6 seats.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Bihar, the NDA bagged 30 of the total 40 seats, with the BJP and the JD(U) securing 12 seats each. The LJP(RV) won 5 seats with 1 seat going to the HAM(S). The Mahagathbandhan won 9 seats, with the RJD getting 4, the Congress 3 and the CPL(ML)L 2 seats. The remaining one seat was won by an Independent.
Apart from Bihar, the BJP, either fighting solo or riding its NDA alliance, has pulled off resounding wins in various elections in recent years, decimating the Opposition in several states. Here is a look at some of these states.
Maharashtra
In the November 2024 elections to the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, the Mahayuti or NDA recorded a landslide victory by winning 232 seats, with the BJP coming on top with 132 seats, following by the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena’s 57 and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP’s 41.
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The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) could win just 46 seats, with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) getting 20 seats, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP(SP) 10, and the Congress 16 seats.
However in the Lok Sabha elections held barely six months prior to the Assembly polls, the Mahayuti had got only 17 seats (including the BJP’s 9, Shiv Sena 7 and NCP 1) as against the MVA’s 30 seats (the Congress’s 13, Sena UBT 9 and NCP-SP 8).
Odisha
In the 2024 Odisha Assembly elections, the BJP swept to power in the state on its own steam for the first time, bringing to an end the five-term reign of BJD chief Naveen Patnaik. The BJP won 78 of the state’s 147 seats as against the BJD’s 51 with the Congress getting 14 seats.
In the simultaneous Lok Sabha polls in Odisha, the BJP bagged 20 of 21 seats with the remaining one seat going to the Congress. The BJD failed to open its account in this election.
In the 2019 Assembly polls, the BJD had returned to power in Odisha by a landslide, securing 112 seats as compared to the BJP’s 23.
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh also saw simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in 2024. The NDA, comprising N Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP and the Pawan Kalyan-led Janasena Party (JSP) besides the BJP, swept the Lok Sabha polls, winning 21 of 25 seats as against the incumbent
Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP’s 4 seats. Among the NDA partners, the TDP won 16 seats, the BJP 3 and the JSP 2.
In the Assembly polls, the NDA secured 164 of 175 seats. The TDP won 135 seats out of 144 it contested. The JSP won all 21 seats it fought, while the BJP picked up 8 of 10 seats it contested.
The YSRCP managed to get just 11 seats. The Congress failed to open its account.
Madhya Pradesh
In the November 2023 elections to the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly, the incumbent BJP returned to power, winning 163 seats. The Opposition Congress failed to make a comeback, finishing with 66 seats.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP swept the state again, winning all 29 seats.
Gujarat
In the December 2022 Gujarat Assembly polls, the ruling BJP stormed back to power, bagging 156 of 182 seats. This was the highest tally secured by any party in the state’s electoral history. The Congress faced one of its worst debacles, getting just 17 seats, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won five seats.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won 24 of 25 seats, with the Congress getting only one seat.