Dec 18, 2017 5:47 pm (IST)

The BJP's vote share has slumped sharply since the 2014 Lok Sabha polls when it clocked nearly 60 per cent votes, while that of Congress has improved significantly - still not enough for the Rahul Gandhi-led party to win sufficient number of seats. As per the results declared today by the Election Commission, the BJP has got close to 49.1 per cent votes, down from nearly 60 per cent in 2014 but somewhat higher than nearly 48 per cent it polled in the 2012 state assembly polls. On the other hand, Congress' vote share has risen to about 41.4 per cent this time - up from 33 per cent in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and also higher than around 39 per cent in the 2012 assembly polls. The difference in vote share between the two parties works out to be around 7.7 per cent