5 Top Metros With $700-Billion GDP Still Out Of BJP Control Despite Big State Wins
While Mumbai is governed by the BJP-led NDA, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad are run by opposition parties.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, after its recent state election wins, now controls all Hindi heartland region that sends more than 200 MPs to the Lok Sabha. But even after its victory, five of the six metro cities, with a combined economic size of $700 billion, are in opposition-ruled states.
Mumbai, the country's financial capital, is the sole mega city governed by the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP (the Ajit Pawar faction) alliance-led Maharashtra government. India's richest civic body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation was also run by the Sena-BJP coalition till 2022. Elections are yet to be held for a new term.
The coastal city's GDP is the highest among its peers in the country, and is the primary growth engine of the $486-billion Maharashtra economy.
The main opposition Congress party took control of Karnataka and Telangana this year after winning state elections there in a landslide.
Bengaluru, dubbed India's 'Silicon Valley'; and Hyderabad—also known as 'Cyberabad'—are the country's major growth centres in information technology, biotech, manufacturing and other sectors.
The national capital Delhi has the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party in power since 2015 in the state level. It also took control of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi earlier this year.
The Trinamool Congress has been in power in West Bengal since 2011 and is also in control of the civic body in Kolkata. India's third richest city is home to many heavy industrial units operated by large public and private sector companies.
Chennai, the southern megacity, is run by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, which is part of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance. The DMK won power in Tamil Nadu in 2021.
Called the 'Detroit of South Asia', Chennai hosts manufacturing units of major global and domestic carmakers.
