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Election Results 2019: Modi Wave Fails To Conquer South Barring Karnataka

The southern states that Modi failed to conquer.

Congress candidate from Thiruvananthapuram constituency Shashi Tharoor waves at his supporters as he celebrates his lead during the counting of votes in Lok Sabha elections. (PTI Photo)
Congress candidate from Thiruvananthapuram constituency Shashi Tharoor waves at his supporters as he celebrates his lead during the counting of votes in Lok Sabha elections. (PTI Photo)

The National Democratic Alliance is set for a landslide victory to retain power. Yet, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party failed to recreate the magic in the southern states barring Karnataka.

The ruling alliance is ahead in over 352 seats, while the main opposition Congress and its partners are leading in 90 seats as of 11 p.m., according to trends on the Election Commission’s website. The BJP, by itself, was well over the halfway mark of 272 seats, while the Congress is leading in 52.

Tamil Nadu

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led coalition comprising Congress, CPM, CPI, VCK and a few other parties was leading in 32 of the 37 seats where election was held. The NDA coalition, including BJP, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and other parties were leading only in two.

This was the first general election after the death of two regional stalwarts—AIADMK’s J Jayalalithaa and DMK’s M Karunanidhi.

 Election Results 2019: Modi Wave Fails To Conquer South Barring Karnataka

The average voter turnout in polling that was held on April 18 was 72.02 percent compared with 73.74 percent in the previous general election. The Election Commission cancelled polling in Vellore constituency after it found proof of evidence of abuse of money power that would have influenced voters.

In 2014, the AIADMK, which contested the election alone, bagged 37 of the total 39 constituencies. The BJP won one—Kanyakumari, bagged by Pon Radhakrishnan, who became the union minister of state for road transport and highways. Anbumani Ramadoss of the Paatali Makkal Katchi, a BJP ally, retained his Dharmapuri seat.

Key Constituencies And Candidates

  • M Kanimozhi, daughter of DMK supremo M Karunanidhi, was leading in Tuticorin by a margin of over 2.5 lakh votes over Tamilisai Soundararajan, the state president of BJP. Last year, as many as 13 people were killed during protests demanding the closure of a copper-smelter in the coastal town.
  • Anbumani Ramadoss, the sitting member from Pattali Makkal Katchi in Dharmapuri, was trailing behind DNV Senthilkumar of DMK.
  • Karti Chidambaram, son of former Union Finance Minister Chidambaram, was leading in Sivaganga by over 2 lakh votes against H Raja of BJP.
  • Former Union Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran was leading in Chennai Central against his nearest rival, SR Sam Paul of the PMK, by a vote margin of over 3 lakh.

Kerala

The United Progressive Alliance and its allies were leading in 19 seats. The Left was leading in one seat in Kerala as of 11 p.m., while the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance did not open its account.

The southern state went to polls on April 23 in the third phase. The voter turnout was 77.67 percent, nearly 4 percent higher than 73.94 percent in 2014.

 Election Results 2019: Modi Wave Fails To Conquer South Barring Karnataka

The United Democratic Front had won 12 out of the 20 seats, with the Indian National Congress winning eight, in the last general election. The Left Democratic Front— comprising the Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India (Marxist)—had won eight seats in 2014.

Key Constituencies And Candidates

  • Anto Antony of Congress was leading the three-way battle between K Surendran of BJP and Veena George (CPI-M) in Pathanamthitta, the constituency where the Sabarimala shrine is located.
  • Congress President Rahul Gandhi was leading in Wayanad with over 4 lakh votes.
  • Shashi Tharoor of Congress was leading in Thiruvananthapuram with over 87,000 votes against Kerala BJP Chief Kummanam Rajasekharan.

Andhra Pradesh

Jaganmohan Reddy’s YSR Congress Party was leading in 22 the 25 seats in the state. Reddy is the son of YS Rajashekara Reddy, Congress leader and former chief minister before the state was bifurcated. Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party was leading in three constituencies.

 Election Results 2019: Modi Wave Fails To Conquer South Barring Karnataka

Andhra Pradesh recorded a voter turnout of 79.70 percent.

Key Constituencies And Candidates

  • TDP’s Ashok Gajapathi Raju was trailing by nearly 43,000 votes in Vizianagaram against Bellana Chandra Sekhar of YSR Congress.
  • TDP’s sitting member Galla Jayadev was leading by close to 18,000 votes in Guntur.
  • MVV Satyanarayana contesting on a YSR Congress ticket in Vishakapatnam was leading with around 2,000 votes.

Telangana

In the country’s newest state, the ruling Telangana Rashtriya Sammiti was leading in nine of the 17 seats as of 11 p.m. The BJP-led NDA alliance and UPA were leading in four and three constituencies respectively.

The states saw its first Lok Sabha elections after being carved out of Andhra Pradesh. In Telangana, which went to polls on April 11, more than 62.71 percent of the eligible voters exercised their franchise.

 Election Results 2019: Modi Wave Fails To Conquer South Barring Karnataka

In 2014, Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party grabbed 16 of the 42 seats in the united Andhra Pradesh. The Telangana Rashtriya Samiti won 11, while YSR Congress bagged nine seats.

Key Constituencies And Candidates

  • Asaduddin Owaisi of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen was leading in Hyderabad with more than 2.70 lakh votes.
  • Telangana Rashtra Samithi Founder K Chandrashekhar Rao’s daughter Kavitha was trailing by more than 53,000 votes in Nizamabad against Arvind Dharmapuri of BJP.

Karnataka: The Outlier

Trends for Karnataka show the BJP is ahead in 25 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the southern state, while the Congress-JDS alliance is leading in two as of 11 p.m.

Four exit polls predicted that the BJP will win at least 20 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, while ABP-Nielsen expected a neck-and-neck battle between the saffron party and the Congress.

 Election Results 2019: Modi Wave Fails To Conquer South Barring Karnataka
  • BJP’s DV Sadananda Gowda was leading in North Bengaluru by over 1.4 lakh votes against Congress’ Krishna Byregowda.
  • BJP’s Tejasvi Surya was leading in South Bengaluru against Congress’ BK Hariprasad by a 3.3-lakh-vote margin.
  • Congress veteran and Leader of Opposition of Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge was trailing by over 95,000 votes in Gulbarga against BJP’s Umesh Jadhav.
  • Congress’ Veerappa Moily was trailing by 1.82 lakh votes in Chikkaballapur against BN Bache Gowda of BJP.
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