Establishing the Tamil sengol in the new Parliament building was a visible symbol of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s policy of ‘looking South’. It was followed by repeated visits to the southern states during the campaign period that culminated in the claim from Narendra Modi and his home minister that the BJP would become the single largest party in the South. That has not happened, but the party made notable inroads. With the Telugu Desam Party back in the National Democratic Alliance and the tie-up with a former actor’s Jana Sena Party, the BJP rode back into Andhra Pradesh on the TDP’s coat-tails as N. Chandrababu Naidu returned triumphantly. The formerly ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party, which had disappointed the electorate on many fronts, won four seats while the BJP won three on its own. Another former actor achieved the BJP’s most remarkable victory. Suresh Gopi won in Kerala’s Thrissur, making it the first foothold for the BJP in parliamentary elections in the state, while the party also increased its vote share there. But except for Thrissur, where
Mr Gopi pleased one minority community locally, the two main minority communities stayed with the Congress, which took the state.

Kerala tends to vote Congress for the Centre even when the Left is in power in the state, as it has this time. The same dual perception seems to obtain in Karnataka, which may not like the BJP in the state but favours Mr Modi at the Centre. The BJP lost a few seats there since 2019, but the Congress increased its count by only eight. It was disappointed, as it had implemented its five promises after the huge win in the assembly elections. Internal squabbles and the lack of organisation and outreach could have affected its fortunes. Tamil Nadu, however, remained obdurately closed to the BJP, which had worked hard to win its heart. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, a major partner in INDIA, led the alliance to victory in the state. The Congress retained its single seat in Puducherry, but in Telangana, the honours were evenly divided. With the Bharat Rashtra Samithi waning, the ruling Congress and the BJP won eight seats each. Perhaps that is symbolic — or does it mean that both sides need to work even harder for their electorates?