Two-time unlucky for Congress in Andhra Pradesh

AMRAVATI: Death comes only once for any individual or thing but, for the Congress, it came for the second time in Andhra Pradesh.

In 2014, voters in the state left the Congress buried, seething over the manner in which it divided the then united state.

The grand old party, however, sought a resurrection in 2019 on the promise that it would accord special category status to the state but people only dug its (political) grave deeper.

The Congress managed to poll an aggregate of 3,68,878 votes across all the 175 Assembly constituencies, a mere 1.17 per cent of the gross 3.13 crore-odd votes cast.

It was worse than in 2014 when it managed 8,02,072 votes (2.77 per cent).

Interestingly, NOTA percentage was better than that of the Congress in 2019.

In all, 4,01,969 NOTA votes (1.28 per cent) were polled.

The BJP that rode on the Modi wave across the country, did no better in Andhra Pradesh.

This time, it got an aggregate of 2,64,303 votes (0. 84 per cent) only in the 174 constituencies it contested.

In 2014, in the company of TDP, the BJP secured 6,32,599 votes (2.18 per cent) in the 13 Assembly segments it stood. It had won four seats then.

In the Lok Sabha battle too the BJP managed just 0. 96 per cent votes while the Congress got 1.29 per cent.

Even here, the NOTA share was 1.49 per cent.

The YSR Congress that swept the polls got a staggering 49.9 per cent (Assembly) and 49.1 per cent (Lok Sabha) vote share.

The Telugu Desam got 39.2 per cent (Assembly) and 39.6 per cent (Lok Sabha) share.