NEW DELHI: The results of the recent assembly polls reflect a political landscape divided between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stronghold in the Hindi heartland, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the Congress emerging as a favored alternative in the South, challenging regional players. Notably, the BJP exhibits a higher success rate in retaining governments compared to the Congress.
Therefore, after the recent election, it’s pretty clear that India is split in two when it comes to politics. Up north, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is doing well and controls 12 state governments. But down south, it’s a different story for the BJP.

In places like Karnataka, the BJP lost power to the Congress, which was a big hit for them because Karnataka was their only stronghold in the south. Now, the Congress is also running the show in Telangana, making it even trickier for the BJP in the south. In states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the BJP is having a tough time gaining support. They’re in third place in Kerala and are going solo in Tamil Nadu after splitting from AIADMK.

So, while the BJP is making some progress in Telangana, it’s still a big challenge for them to get a strong foothold in the south. Not having much influence in the southern states is a big obstacle for the BJP in reaching its political goals in the region.

But there’s a silver lining. In Telangana, even though the Congress won, the BJP did better than before. They might go from having 1 seat in 2018 to 11 seats in 2023, which is a good sign for them. Especially in northern Telangana, where they did well, even in places like the Muslim-dominated Mudhole constituency. Even though they’re behind Congress and BRS, these results could be a starting point for the BJP to make plans and grow in the state. We saw a bit of that in the tough

Munugode bypolls and the recent assembly elections.
So, the BJP’s journey in the south has its ups and downs. They’re figuring things out as they go, learning from their successes and setbacks in the complex world of southern politics.
India presently boasts six national parties – BJP, Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), CPI(M), National People’s Party (NPP), and AAP. The upcoming assembly polls in 2024 will feature Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh, with pending polls for Jammu and Kashmir. The evolving political scenario sets the stage for dynamic shifts and strategic considerations in the upcoming electoral landscape.