Modi defies contrarians, set to be first non-Congress PM to return to power

BJP proves several assessments wrong, makes inroads into South, repeats Hindi heartland show, makes iy mark in Odisha and gives Mamata a run for her money in Bengal

The contrarians had three or four assessments or assumptions about the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, and the Bharatiya Janata Party, it would seem at the time of filing of this report at 10.30 am, has defied them all. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on his way to be the first non-Congress prime minister to return to power.

The first assumption or assessment was that the BJP, barring Karnataka, was unlikely to do well in southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

At the time of filing of this report, the BJP was leading in as many