The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi surprised many pundits yesterday with its performance in the two key states of Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

It defied predictions of a major slump in its seat share in the former by maintaining its lead in as many as 62 constituencies, and added to its impressive haul by making unprecedented inroads into the latter, where it had won just two seats in 2014.