Three Opposition chief ministers on Monday lost power as the Trinamool Congress was defeated by the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal, the Left Democratic Front by the Congress-led alliance in Kerala and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam by actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.
The votes in Assembly elections held in four states – West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu – and the Union Territory of Puducherry were counted on Monday. The polls were held in several phases in April.
Here is a short summary of the results:
West Bengal
The BJP won 207 seats in the 294-member West Bengal Assembly, ending the 15-year rule of the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC.
A party or an alliance needs 148 seats in the Assembly to secure a majority. The TMC won 80 seats.
The Congress and former minister Humayun Kabir’s Aam Janata Unnayan Party won two seats each. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the All India Secular Front secured one win each.
Banerjee lost to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari by more than 15,000 votes in the Bhabanipur constituency. Adhikari had defeated Banerjee in Nandigram seat in the 2021 polls, after which the TMC chief had been elected to the Assembly from Bhabanipur in a bye-election.
SIR to CRPF: Scroll’s Anant Gupta explains five factors that helped the BJP conquer Bengal and Shoaib Daniyal asks if the fall of the TMC and the DMK has ended the federal state identity, the main challenger to Hindutva.
Meanwhile, Banerjee claimed that she was ‘beaten’ at Bengal polls counting centre.
Votes in 293 constituencies were counted on Monday as the Election Commission has ordered repolling in the Falta Assembly seat citing “severe electoral offences”. The polling there will be held on May 21 and the votes will be counted on May 24.
Opposition leaders, including Congress’ Rahul Gandhi, on Monday supported Banerjee’s claims that there had been irregularities in the counting of votes. Banerjee claimed that the BJP had “looted votes in more than 100 seats”.
The elections in West Bengal followed a special intensive revision of electoral rolls by the poll panel. By April 6, about 91 lakh voters, nearly 11.9% of the electorate before the process began, had been removed. Lakhs of cases challenging their removal from the voter list are pending before appellate tribunals. The exact number is unclear.
Tamil Nadu
The TVK, on its electoral debut, emerged as the single-largest party in Tamil Nadu elections. The Vijay-led party won 108 seats.
However, the party fell short of the majority mark of 118 seats in the 234-member Assembly. While TVK will require the support of other parties to form the government, the result opens up the possibility of the first non-DMK, non-AIADMK-led state government in nearly 60 years.
The ruling Secular Progressive Alliance, mainly comprising the DMK, the Congress and some Left parties, won 73 seats. Of these, MK Stalin-led DMK won 59 seats and the Congress five.
The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) won two seats each.
The National Democratic Alliance, mainly comprising the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the BJP, won 53 seats. Of these, the AIADMK won 47 seats and the BJP one. The Pattali Makkal Katchi won four seats.
Chief Minister Stalin himself lost to a TVK candidate VS Babu in northern Chennai's Kolathur constituency by more than 8,700 votes.
Stalin had become the chief minister in 2021 after the DMK-led alliance came to power, ending the 10-year tenure of the AIADMK.
Scroll’s Ayush Tiwari writes about the jubilation outside the TVK party office in Chennai and heartbreak outside another. And Sruthisagar Yamunan writes explores how Vijay broke the Dravidian duopoly and what lies ahead for Tamil Nadu.
Kerala
The Congress-led United Democratic Front is set to form the government in Kerala, the last state where the Left parties held power.
This is the first time since 1977 that there would be no Left-led government in any state.
The United Democratic Front won 98 seats. Of these, the Congress won 63. A party or an alliance needs 71 seats in the 140-member Assembly to secure a majority.
There were four Independent candidates, reportedly backed by the United Democratic Front, who also won.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front won 35 seats. Of these, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) won 26.
While Vijayan won in the Dharmadam constituency, at least 13 of his 21 ministers lost the polls.
Assam
The BJP will form the government in Assam for a third consecutive term. The party won 82 seats in the 126-member Assembly. A party or an alliance needs 64 seats in the Assembly to secure a majority.
The BJP-led NDA won 102 seats.
The Congress won 19 seats and its ally, the Raijor Dal, two.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma won the Jalukbari constituency with a margin of more than 89,400 votes against Congress’ Bidisha Neog.
On the other hand, Gaurav Gogoi, the Congress’ state chief, lost to a candidate of the Hindutva party in Jorhat by more than 23,100 votes.
Sarma had replaced BJP leader Sarbananda Sonowal as the chief minister in 2021, when the party had retained power the first time.
Scroll’s Rokibuz Zaman writes about the reasons behind the saffron sweep in Assam.
Puducherry
The NDA led by the All India NR Congress will retain power in Puducherry. The ruling alliance in the Union Territory won 18 seats.
The Opposition Secular Progressive Alliance, mainly comprising the Congress and the DMK, won six seats. Vijay’s TVK won two seats and its ally, Neyam Makkal Kazhagam, secured one win.
Although the Puducherry Assembly has 33 seats, three of its members are nominated by the Union government. They enjoy the same powers as the 30 MLAs who are directly elected.
The majority mark in the 30-member Assembly is 16. However, after the three members are nominated, a party or an alliance needs 17 seats to secure a majority.
Chief Minister N Rangasamy, the chief of the All India NR Congress, won the Mangalam and Thattanchavady constituencies he had contested from.
Written by: Nachiket Deuskar. Edited by: Tanya Shrivastava
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