Will the Lotus bloom in South India? This is what exit polls predict

Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana are the five southern states that collectively offer 129 Lok Sabha seats, of which the BJP won 29 seats in the 2019 polls

Lok Sabha elections: Following the conclusion of all seven phases of the Lok Sabha elections on Friday, exit polls are out revealing their poll outcome predictions. For the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, expanding in South and West Bengal has its one of key focuses in this election as it aims to win at least 400 seats of the total 543 constituencies.

The party hopes to build on its 2019 success in Karnataka, where it won 25 out of 28 seats. It also seeks to make inroads in Tamil Nadu, aiming for 15 seats, an ambitious goal when compared to its complete defeat in 2019.

Besides Karnataka, Telangana is the only southern state where the BJP has representation in Lok Sabha at present with four MPs. Like Tamil Nadu, the BJP did not win any seats in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh in 2019.

How does South India vote?

The southern states offer 129 Lok Sabha seats, which could significantly boost the party's morale as it seeks a third term at the Centre. However, the region is dominated by other parties, including the DMK, Congress, and the YSRCP, in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh, respectively in the Lok Sabha.

To be clear, the saffron, perceived as a ‘north Indian party’, has never won any national seat in Kerala, which is dominated by the Left parties. Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram, Wayanad, Kasaragod, Kannur are some of the key constituencies in the poll battle, in which political heavyweights Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, BJP leader C Raghunath are in the fray.

What do 2024 Lok Sabha election exit polls predict about south India? Here's a state-wise breakup