otal: 543 t CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI ■ ■ kollam l wednesday l june 05, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l city EDITION SWING STATES While the BJP-led NDA is expected to form the next government at the Centre, the saffron party has slipped from its 2019 poll performance to the single largest party short of majority. The Congress-led INDIA put up a spirited fight in the key states that have the potential to turn the tide West Bengal (42) TMC 29 l bJp 12 l Cong 1 Uttar Pradesh (80) SP+Cong 43 l BJP+ 36 NDA 292 TMC proved BJP’s much-hyped projections to sweep West Bengal wrong as the Mamata Banerjee-led party not only increased its seats but also the vote share. In the last Lok Sabha polls in 2019, the TMC had won 22 seats, the BJP 18, and the Congress two seats The biggest setback for the BJP came from its stronghold UP, which had given it 62 out of 80 seats in 2019. The tally has dropped to 33, a drastic fall of 29. Those seats have gone to Congress-SP combine Bihar (40) BJP+ 29 l rjd+ 9 Maharashtra (48) Cong+ 29 l bJP+ 17 Rajasthan (25) BJP 14 l Cong+ 11 The BJP’s experiment of breaking up regional parties in Maharashtra backfired. The BJP’s 2019 tally of 23 seats has come down to 10. And that of NDA has fallen short of its target of 45 The BJP lost 10 seats compared to its 2019 tally as the Congress staged a comeback winning 8 seats india 229 whittled down Modi 3.0 l cong: 99 l SP: 37 l TMC: 29 l DMK: 22 l shiv sena (uddhav): 9 l ncp (S): 7 l Oth: 26 Narendra Modi Narendra Modi greets supporters in New Delhi on Tuesday; Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi leave after attending a press conference in New Delhi | Shekhar yadav, Parveen Negi The BJP-led NDA on Tuesday appeared poised to retain power at the Centre for a third consecutive term, though the saffron party dramatically fell short of a majority on its own in the Lok Sabha. From a high of 303 in 2019, the BJP could manage just 240 (leads + wins), 32 short of a simple majority It smoked out . the BJP’s stability plank as the government’s survival would depend on demanding allies like JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar and TDP’s Chandrababu Naidu. The JD(U) has leads/victories in 12 seats while the corresponding figure for the TDP was 16. However, in his first speech after the results ame in, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid out his vision for the third term saying it would be a tenure of big decisions with specific emphasis on uprooting corruption. Modi’s target for the BJP to win 370 seats and for the NDA to cross 400 was far cry as even potential big hitters like Smriti Irani in Amethi, Rajeev Chandrashekhar in Thiruvananthapuram and R K Singh in Arrah were defeated. Despite its diminished tally , the NDA is expected to stake its claim to form the new government. The NDA will take its final call at its meeting on Wednesday, which will be attended by Nitish and Naidu. They are expected to give their letters of support to the BJP . As for the Opposition, it is not leaving any stone unturned to lure Nitish and Naidu, who emerged as the potential kingmakers. According to sources, the post of Deputy Prime Min- Baramulla Coimbatore Barhampur T’puram 2 states to get new cms BJP ends 25-year Naidu’s historic grip of Naveen comeback blows over Odisha out Jagan’s party E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar P H a r e e sh @ Vijayawada Curtains came down on Tuesday on the 25-year rule of BJD head and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Odisha as the BJP virtually swept both the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the state and is set to form the new government on June 10. The impact of the verdict is not restricted to the political future of Naveen but also of the BJD that dominated the state for over 15 years. The party formed by Naveen Patnaik in 1997 had come to power in 2000 with the BJP as its ally It gained from strength . to strength even after breaking the alliance just before 2009 elections. Patnaik and his party had then developed an aura of invincibility following victories in five consecutive elections. However, this election put a spanner in the BJD’s bid for a record sixth term. Such has been the extent of BJP surge that the chief minister who had withstood the Modi wave in 2014 and 2019, fell to a little-known Laxman Bag of the BJP in Kantabanji, which he contested as the second seat, by over 15,000 votes. Naveen, however, won from his traditional stronghold Hinjili in Ganjam district. In a historic comeback, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), in alliance with the BJP and actor Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party (JSP), stormed to power in Andhra Pradesh, winning 163 out of the 175 assembly constituencies and 21 out of the 25 Lok Sabha segments. The stunning mandate left the YSRC of outgoing chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy reeling with just 12 assembly and four Lok Sabha seats, a far cry from the 151 assembly and 22 parliamentary constituencies it won in 2019. Except for Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy and Jagan himself, none of the cabinet ministers could win. In Jagan’s citadel Kadapa too, the party could hold onto only three seats. TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu in November 2021 had declared on the floor of the assembly that he would reenter the House again only as CM. His victory march is impressive. From North Andhra to Rayalaseema, the NDA showed total dominance. The YSRC could not open its account in as many as eight undivided districts. It could not even put up an impressive performance in Rayalaseema where it clinched a majority of seats in 2019. Where they stand Where they stand 78 147 Seats 134 51 1 14 Amethi Smriti Irani (BJP) Defeat margin: 1,67,196 74 3 BJP BJD CONG CPI(M) Independent Gandhinagar Amit Shah 78 Halfway Vidisha TDP Guna 88 Halfway Shivraj Chauhan J Scindia Rahul Gandhi A Owaisi Margin: 3.9L Margin: 3.3L 7,44,716 R Chandrasekhar (BJP) (BJP) (BJP) Margin: 2.04 lakh Margin: 1.18 lakh Margin: 85,459 Margin: 16,077 Margin: 8.2 Lakh Margin: 5.4L LOSER/Winner BJP 8 (BJP) Win margin: Adhir Ranjan (Cong) YSRCP 21 12 14 Hyderabad Annamalai K (BJP) JSP 51 Rae Bareli Omar Abdullah (NC) 175 Seats (Cong) (AIMIM) BJP’s Shankar Lalwani won by a potentially record margin of 10,08,077 votes in Indore Win/Lead Punjab (13) Cong 7 l AAP 3 l bjp 0 The BJP scored zero in the state as the Congress made a comeback and the AAP improved on its 2019 tally. Among those won include jailed Khalistani separatist Amritpal Singh, who wrested the Khadoor Sahib seat by 1.97 lakh votes, as an Independent Different strokes People have placed their faith in NDA for a third consecutive time! This is a historic feat in India’s history. I bow to the Janata Janardan for this affection ister to Nitish and a promise of special status for Andhra Pradesh are on the table if the parties extend their support to the INDIA bloc. While senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted assuring that the party will grant special status to Andhra, sources said that NCP leader Sharad Pawar is in talks with Naidu and Nitish. While both leaders are infamous for shifting alliances, they rejoined the NDA ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Manoj Kumar Jha told reporters in Patna that both Nitish and Naidu are expected to switch to the INDIA bloc. At a press conference in Delhi, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said the party will hold talks with its allies and “new partners”. A decision will be taken after consulting all INDIA bloc partners on Wednesday, said Kharge. The gamechanger was the Samajwadi Party, which gave the INDIA bloc an unexpected boost of 37 (wins and leads) in Uttar Pradesh. The Trinamool Congress, too did spectacularly well with 29 29 seats in West Bengal, higher than its 22 in 2019. Maharashtra gave the BJPled allance a decisive blow with just 17 seats. The BJP had independently won 23 seats five years ago. In contrast, the INDIA bloc got 28. However, the BJP wrested power in Odisha from the ruling Biju Janata Dal. In Andhra Pradesh, the TDP did likewise against the YSR Congress. The BJP made inroads in Kerala by winning a seat in a state where the Congress and the Left are the major political force. In Telangana, it won eight seats. l rld: 2 l Oth: 8 others: 2 2 The NDA had swept Bihar in 2019, winning 39 out of the 40 seats. In 2024, the alliance’s tally is down by 11 as the BJP’s seats fell from 17 to 12 and JD(U)’s from 16 to 12. This time, the regional party will have a bigger say as it will be a crucial partner in the NDA Nitish, Naidu to participate in NDA meet today, expected to give letters of support Oppn offers Dy PM post to Nitish, special status for Andhra to woo Naidu SP’s stellar show was game-changer Big gains for INDIA bloc in Maharashtra Didi retains turf RA J E S H KU M AR T H AKUR a n d P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi l bjp: 240 l tdp: 16 l jd(u): 12 l shiv sena (Shinde): 7 l ljp (RV): 5 l JDS: 2 The people of India have saved the Constitution and democracy. The deprived and poor population of the country stood with INDIA to protect their rights Rahul Gandhi PM Modi has lost all credibility, he should immediately resign. The PM broke many parties and now people have broken his morale. Modi is now falling at the feet of TDP and Nitish to form the government Mamata Banerjee We fought the elections by raising issues concerning people like unemployment and inflation. We are committed to continue highlighting the issues of people Sharad Pawar INSIDE In Bengal story, Didi is matchless | P11 Maha drubbing for BJP and allies as Cong wins 13 seats | P11 Manipur votes out BJP, Congress’ score up in Northeast | P11 Modi calls 3rd term as ‘historic feat’, vows to take big moves | P12 Market may see shortterm volatity | P14 Though BJP fails to get majority, it will go ahead with 100-day plan | P14 A jubilant Suresh Gopi, who won from the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency, savours sweets offered by his wife Radhika at their house at Sasthamangalam in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday | Vincent Pulickal BJP star shines in Kerala amid Cong surge, Left slide ANIL S @ T’Puram In a clear indication that Kerala’s bipolar political landscape is giving way to a tripolar scenario, the BJP on Tuesday won its first-ever Lok Sabha seat from the state, with Suresh Gopi’s emphatic victory in Thrissur. Riding on anti-incumbency wave against the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left government in the state and the Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre, the UDF won 18 seats, leaving the Left with a humiliating singleseat score. The BJP was able to not just win Thrissur but also finished a close second in Thiruvananthapuram. It even manage a decent third place in Attingal, besides putting up decent performances in Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta constituencies. An increase in BJP’s vote share — roughly by 4% — in the state is a clear indication of the things to come. Suresh Gopi’s victo1 1 18 ry further reinforces the on-ground political Seats reality that the saffron party is no longer anathema to Kerala voters. UDF LDF NDA Meanwhile, the poll outcome has come as a major relief for the Congress-led UDF that has been reeling under persistent infighting, leadership vacuum and lack of political vigour and organisational strength. In fact, the UDF owes its victory, to a major extent, to Pinarayi himself, as negative votes against the Left played a crucial role in the final verdict, than its own strategies. Though the UDF achieved a commendable victory K Mu, raleedharan’s humiliating third-place show in the party’s sitting seat has come as a shocker and is undoubtedly a setback for the Congress. Noticeably even in the face of , victory the party leadership presented a fractured front. , Unless and until the Congress leadership sorts out its issues within, it wouldn’t exactly be a bright scenario for the UDF in the 2026 assembly polls. As for the LDF, the writing on the wall can no longer be ignored. It’s going to get real tough for the CPM, unless it ● More on P6 mend its ways.  20 Underwhelming outcome Markets register biggest single-day fall in 4 years AR S H AD K H AN @ New Delhi INDIA’s equity market indices registered their biggest single-day fall in four years on Tuesday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party failed to clinch 272 seats on its own. While the BJP-led NDA is set to form government, the seat tally is way lower than market estimates and exit poll results. The BSE Sensex closed the Tuesday session with a loss of 4,390 points, or 5.74%, at 72,079.05, while the Nifty 50 ended with a cut of 1,379 points, or 5.93%, at 21,884.50. At one point, the Sensex was down 6,100 points and the Nifty gave away 1,600 points. On Tuesday investors lost a whop, ping `31 lakh crore as the market capitalisation of all BSE listed firms came down to `395 lakh crore from `426 lakh crore. “The unexpected outcome sparked a wave of fear selling in the domestic market,” said Vinod Nair, head of research at Geojit Financial Services. The selling pressure was so intense that it reminded market watchers of the 15% Sensex crash in 2004 over the surprise loss of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.