BJP's 220 vs Congress' 154: A curious correlation between number of rallies and election victories

The Bharatiya Janata Party is set to sweep Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in the recently concluded Assembly elections while Telangana offered the only consolation to the Indian National Congress which is set to displace the KCR-led government. The Assembly elections have showcased a curious correlation between the number of rallies and roadshows conducted by BJP and Congress and their subsequent election victories.

In Rajasthan, the Congress and BJP engaged in an intense campaign frenzy, with the saffron party outpacing the Congress by conducting 82 rallies and roadshows compared to the Congress' 70. According to the Election Commission, BJP is leading in 115 seats, Congress in 69, Bharat Adivasi Party in three, Rashtriya Lok Dal in one seat, independents in seven seats, and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Rashtriya Loktantrik Party in two seats each, respectively.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took part in 16 rallies while Union Home Minister Amit Shah in 19 rallies. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP President JP Nadda and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ardently took part in 47 rallies and roadshows.

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took part in seven rallies, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in six rallies, Ashok Gehlot in 30 rallies and roadshows and Sachin Pilot in 20 rallies. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel were part of 5 and 2 rallies, respectively.

Big win for BJP in Madhya Pradesh

Similarly, in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP's 68 rallies outweighed the Congress' 41, ultimately leading to the BJP emerging victorious with a lead in 168 seats. The BJP is currently leading in 166 seats. The saffron party's campaign was helmed by PM Modi (15), Amit Shah (18), JP Nadda (10), Rajnath Singh (11) and Yogi Adityanath (14).

Rahul Gandhi took part in 12 rallies, Priyanka Gandhi in 10 rallies, Kharge in four and Kamalnath in 15 rallies.

Shock for Congress in Chhattisgarh

This trend continued in Chhattisgarh, where the BJP's 32 rallies surpassed the Congress' 17, contributing to the BJP's anticipated sweeping win. In a shock for Congress, the BJP is leading in 55 seats in the 90-member elections. PM addressed five rallies in Chhattisgarh and visited Dongargarh temples after the announcement of Assembly polls, targeting Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel over the alleged Mahadev app scam and accusing the Congress of appeasement politics while calling the Bharatiya Janata Party's promises as "Modi's guarantees".

Home Minister Amit Shah (11), Rajnath Singh (3) and JP Nadda (12) also aggressively campaigned for the party.

However, the scenario in Telangana appears to buck this trend. Despite the Congress holding 26 rallies compared to the BJP's 38, the grand old party emerged as the winning party in the state.