September 18, 2026 01:44 pm (IST)
TN, Bengal, Orissa defy 'Modi wave'
New Delhi, May 16 (IBNS): Even as the rest of the nation was swept by Narendra Modi earning the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) the most resounding victory in over 30 years, three regional players in Bengal, Orissa and Tamil Nadu markedly held their ground on Friday, results showed.
J Jayalalithaa-led All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC), Naveen Patnaik ledBiju Janata Dal (BJD) posted 37, 34 and 18 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Orissa respectively.
In a one-horse race, Tamil Nadu’s ruling AIADMK served a crushing defeat to its arch-rival Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK), Congress andBJP-led six-party alliance.
Improving its winning streak of the assembly polls in 2011, the AIADMK won the prestigious Nilgiris (SC) seat as its candidate C.Gopalakrishnan defeated 2G scam accused A. Raja of DMK by a margin of over 109,000 votes.
While a candid Jayalalithaa admitted that the current situation did not give scope for her party for its participation in government formation, she said the AIADMK had emerged as the third largest party in Lok Sabha said and would “function as a responsible political party”.
Meanwhile, in West Bengal, after putting up a strong performance, the TMC on Friday said it would play a greater constructive role in the country.
Out of the 42 Lok Sabha seats, Banerjee's TMC scored in 34 seats and claimed that success came despite "malicious campaign" launched by a section of the media against which the party fought single-handedly.
In Orissa meanwhile BJD posted a one-sided victory by scoring on 113 of the 147 assembly constituencies and 18 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats, far ahead of rivals Congress and BJP.
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