TDP-led alliance sweeps Andhra Pradesh, Naveen Patnaik’s BJD loses power in Odisha after 24 years

The Telugu Desam Party along with its allies the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Jana Sena Party won the Andhra Pradesh Assembly on Tuesday, while the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal lost power in Odisha after 24 years.

Andhra Pradesh has 175 Assembly seats and the majority mark is 88. The Telugu Desam Party led by former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu won 135 seats, according to the final tally published by the Election Commission. The Jana Sena Party won 21 seats and the BJP clinched eight.

The state’s ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party led by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy won 11 seats.

In Odisha, the BJP’s tally settled at 78 Assembly seats. The ruling Biju Janata Dal clinched 51. Odisha has 147 Assembly constituencies, with 74 being the halfway mark.

While the Congress won 14 seats, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) secured three seats. An independent candidate won one seat.

The Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim were held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls. The elections in Andhra Pradesh were held in a single phase on May 13, while those in Odisha were held in four phases on May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1.

The counting of votes in the state polls in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim took place on Sunday. The BJP retained power in Arunachal Pradesh with a greater majority. In Sikkim, the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha won by a landslide.

Follow Scroll’s Lok Sabha elections coverage here

Andhra Pradesh recorded a voter turnout of 81.86%, about 2% higher than the 2019 election.

In the 2019 Assembly polls, the YSR Congress Party had clinched 151 of the 175 Assembly seats. The Telugu Desam Party had won 23 seats. Actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party had won one seat.

This time, there was a tight contest between the YSR Congress Party and Telugu Desam Party, which returned to the Nationalist Democratic Alliance in March. Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party also allied with the Telugu Desam Party.

On Tuesday evening, Naidu thanked the state for giving the Telugu Desam Party, the BJP and the Jana Sena Party alliance an “overwhelming mandate”. “Together, we have won a battle to reclaim our state, and together, we will rebuild it,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the state for giving an “exceptional mandate” to the National Democratic Alliance. “We will work for the all-round progress of AP [Andhra Pradesh] and ensure the state prospers in the times to come,” Modi said in a social media post.

Odisha registered a voter turnout of 75.6% in the first phase, 73.5% in the second phase, 74.55% in the third phase and 74.41% in the fourth phase. The overall voter turnout for the Assembly election has not been released yet.

The Biju Janata Dal and BJP were locked in a close contest. Although the Biju Janata Dal had often supported the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in Parliament, the two parties turned into foes in the state during the poll campaign.

The Biju Janata Dal chief Patnaik, who has been the chief minister for 24 years, contested from two Assembly constituencies: Kantabanji and the Hinjili.

On Tuesday, Patnaik lost in Kantabanji against the BJP’s Laxman Bag by 16,344 votes. In Hinjili, he won by 4,636 votes. This was his lowest-ever victory margin from the constituency.

In a social media post on Tuesday, Patnaik sent his wishes to all the winning candidates “irrespective of party affiliation”. “I express my respect and gratitude for the dedicated efforts and sacrifices of all the workers and leaders of Biju Janata Dal,” he said.

Modi also thanked Odisha for the win. “It’s a resounding victory for good governance and celebrating Odisha’s unique culture,” he said on social media. “BJP will leave no stone unturned in fulfilling the dreams of people and taking Odisha to new heights of progress.”

Also read: Lok Sabha elections: BJP wins 240 seats, INDIA bloc above 230-mark