Lok Sabha elections make many regional parties kingmakers, but some draw blank: A deep dive

Most regional parties and other political parties that are not recognised as "national parties," played crucial roles in the Lok Sabha Elections 2024. While four national parties secured 346 or 64 per cent of the seats, several regional parties acted as kingmakers in many states.

It will be difficult for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to form the national government without the support from the Janata Dal (United) (JDU) and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). Meanwhile, the Opposition's INDIA bloc managed to put up a tough contest against the NDA, partly because of its allies, such as the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

However, a few regional parties which didn't join the BJP-led NDA or the Opposition's India bloc were wiped out in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls. As many as 41 political parties will have their representatives in the 18th Lok Sabha. Of these 41, four “national parties” –  the BJP, Congress, AAP and CPIM –  secured 346 or 64 per cent of seats.

Here's a list of states where regional parties gained more:

1. In Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party (SP) emerged as the single-largest party, winning 37 seats of the total 80 seats. The party's stellar performance was a big shock for the BJP and a relief for the INDIA bloc.

2. In Bihar, Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) (JDU) won 12 seats, equaling the BJP's tally in the state. The party's contribution to the NDA government will be significant.

3. In Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP) swept the Lok Sabha election by winning 16 of the 25 seats in the state. It was the only party in Andhra Pradesh that won more than 10 seats in the Lok Sabha polls. The remaining three parties — YSRCP, BJP, and Janasena Party — won four, three, and two seats each.

4. In West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) was the single-largest party with 29 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Even though the TMC contested alone (without an alliance with Congress) in the state, it is still a part of the INDIA bloc at the national level.

5. In Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin's Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) won the maximum number of seats, 21, of the total 39 parliamentary constituencies in the state. The DMK was another party that contributed to the INDIA bloc's seat share.

6. In Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackrey) and Nationalist Congress Party– Sharadchandra Pawar won nine and eight seats, respectively. Although their tally wasn't the highest in the state, they helped the INDIA bloc to make a strong comeback against the ruling NDA.

Parties which were wiped out in Lok Sabha 2024

There were six major regional parties that had run the state governments once but lost significantly in the Lok Sabha Elections 2024. "These are strong political parties, made government in the past, didn't ally with any alliance [NDA or INDIA], and are doomed to nearly zero seats. It was clearly a national election where people went for the NDA or INDIA," a political expert said.

These political parties lost ground or were reduced to zero seats in Lok Sabha polls:

1. The Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) faced a major blow as it failed to open its account in Uttar Pradesh in the 2024 polls. Mayawati's party had won 10 seats in the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Mayawati was the Uttar Pradesh chief minister between 2007 and 2012.

2. Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is another regional party that witnessed a major setback in the 2024 Lok Sabha, as well as assembly elections in Odisha. The BJP ended Patnaik's 24-year rule in the state after winning a comfortable majority in the 147-member assembly. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJD didn't win a single seat.

3. The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), which was elected in Telangana in the first-ever assembly elections and ruled the state for around 10 years, won zero Lok Sabha seats in the state in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

4. The Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), which has governed Andhra Pradesh since 2019, won just four of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Jagan Mohan Reddy's party had won 22 Lok Sabha seats in 2019.

5. The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIDMK) lost the Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu in 2024 as its seat share was reduced to zero seats this time. The AIADMK had ruled the state between 2011 and 2021. It lost power to MK Stalin's DMK in the 2021 assembly polls. The AIDMK had won one seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

6. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which once ruled Punjab, won one Lok Sabha seat in the state — down from two in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Its vote share also dropped from 27 per cent to 13 per cent this time.