Southern states give INDIA bloc reason to cheer
New Delhi, June 4
As the results for the Lok Sabha election poured in on Tuesday, southern states gave a reason to cheer for the INDIA bloc as it gained hugely in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, while marginally improving in Karnataka and Telangana.
The 2024 LS polls saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah place an unprecedented thrust on the southern states. These five states and one Union Territory— Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, and Puducherry (UT) account for 130 seats in the Lok Sabha.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) registered major gains by clinching 18 of 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala.
In Tamil Nadu, the ruling DMK made a clean sweep, winning all 39 seats, even bettering its 2009 sweep tally. The same formidable alliance with the Congress, Left parties, VCK, MDMK, and others had won 38 seats in 2019. With the Congress winning the lone seat in Puducherry, the DMK alliance scored 40 out of 40. The ruling DMK’s populist schemes, including the Rs 1,000 monthly assistance and free bus rides for women, appear to have worked magic.
