The 'Lotus' blooms across India

With the Bharatiya Janata Party back in power for the sixth straight term in Gujarat and snatching Himachal Pradesh from the Congress, the party now controls 19 of the 29 states in the Indian Union.

Never before has a political party controlled as many states in India. At the height of its glory 24 years ago, the Congress was in control of 18 states. 

Before it stormed to power in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP was in power in only five states -- Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Nagaland. 

Here’s a map showing the BJP’s current spread across India. 

• Gujarat polls
• Himachal Pradesh polls