BJP contests on more Lok Sabha seats than Congress for the first time  

Narendra Modi

New Delhi: The Bhartiya Janata Party for the first time contesting on more seats than the Congress Party in the national election. BJP has declared the list of 437 candidates out of 545 for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. This is the highest number of seats the party has ever contested since it came into existence in 1980. It is a sign of party’s national growth and a turning point for Indian politics, after decades of the Congress in pole position.

However, the opposition points out this as the reflection of BJP’s poor alliance game. Clearly BJP is not in alliance with any party in either Andhra Pradesh or Telangana and has fielded candidates on all 42 Lok Sabha seats of these states. The Congress leaders claims the party's number two position shows its pragmatism in forming alliances.

BJP in 2009 contested on 433 seats across the country and the Congress on 440. The BJP ended up with 116 seats and the Congress won 206 and took power along with its alliance partners in the UPA. And in 2014 election, BJP contested on 428 seats and won with 282 seats defeating the main rival Congress. The Congress won just 44 out of 464 in the same year. Meanwhile in this election, the Congress has fielded 423 candidates. It may announce a few more in coming days.

 So far, the BJP has declared to contest on 437 seats out of 545 in the 2019 national election.

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