Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The dominance of BJP and Congress remains unchallenged in the general election despite attempts by third parties. The third party vote share has been dwindling over the years in the state. Parties like Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party (SP), and others continue to face an uphill battle for representation.
The last victory for a third party was recorded in 2009, when BSP’s Deoraj Singh Patel had clinched Rewa seat. Patel had won with 28.49% of the vote share in Rewa, narrowly edging out BJP’s Sundar Lal Tiwari who garnered 27.83% of votes.
The general election of 2009, 2014 and 2019 saw a consistent struggle for third parties to secure seats.
In 2009 general election, BJP won 16 seats, garnering 43.45% of votes, while INC secured 12 seats with 40.14% of the votes. BSP, contesting 28 seats, managed to secure only 5.85% of votes, while SP, contesting 18 seats, received 2.82% of the votes. Other parties like Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP) and Independents, collectively accumulated a minimal share of the votes.
In 2014 general election, BJP’s dominance grew stronger, which won 27 seats with a significant vote share of 4.8%. The INC managed to secure only 2 seats with 35.4% of votes. BSP got 3.8%, SP got 0.8% of votes. Other smaller parties struggled to make an impact but their vote shares remaining relatively low.
In 2019 general election, BJP continued its stronghold by winning 28 seats with an impressive 58% vote share. INC secured just one seat with a vote share of 34.5%. BSP secured 2.4% of votes, SP 0.23% of votes, and other smaller parties once again faced challenge in garnering significant support from the electorate as their vote shares remained modest.
