Why BJP can thank Congress for its poll vault | India News

BJP Vs Cong : One-Sided Affair
In 2009, there was a direct contest between BJP and Congress in 173 seats, that is, either one or the other emerged on top or finished as the runnerup. Congress bagged 54% of these seats while BJP took the remaining 46%. In 2014, the trend was reversed: BJP won 88% of the direct contest seats, whose number increased to 189.The skew became even more pronounced in 2019 with BJP cornering 92% of 190 direct contest seats.
Come to the vote share and it’s a similar tale but with a small twist. BJP’s vote share went from 41% in 2009 to 50.9% in 2014 and 56.5% in 2019. Congress clocked a drop between 2009 and 2014 but had a narrow revival in 2019, though the gain in votes didn’t translate into wins on seats.

BJP Vs Non-Cong: Two-Way Street
There were 53 seats in 2009 where the direct contest was between BJP and a party other than Congress. BJP won about 2 of every three seats here. It improved its strike rate in 2014 to win 79% of the seats against non-Congress parties. In 2019 though, the saffron outfit slipped up against these mostly regional parties. As for vote share, while BJP has registered a steady increase, non-Congress parties — which enjoy significant support in their pockets of influence — recorded a dip in 2014 but made significant gains in 2019.