NEW DELHI: While the Modi wave became a ‘tsuNamo’  this time, sweeping away the Congress and major regional parties in north and central India and sending a staggering 303 MPs to the 17th Lok Sabha, there are some regional parties, notably among them the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and the Trinamool, which will play a key role in the Lower House as there will not be any Leader of Opposition this time as well. 

The DMK, led by party president M K Stalin, succeeded in stopping the Modi juggernaut from rolling into Tamil Nadu as the party secured victory on 23 seats in the state.

Moreover, the southern party also helped the Congress win eight of the nine seats it contested in the State, thereby boosting its national tally.

Similarly, the YSR Congress Party registered an impressive show under the leadership of Y S Jaganmohan Reddy as it captured 22 out of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh.

Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool suffered a major blow in West Bengal, which has been an invincible fort of the party for the past decade.

As the saffron wave breached Didi’s citadel, the Trinamool, which had bagged 34 seats in the 2014 general elections, was restricted to 22 constituencies following Thursday’s results.

Despite having smaller numbers, these parties are set to play a key role in the House as the Congress will need their support during floor management.

For the second time, the Grand Old Party has failed to muster up the numbers required to get the post of the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

Under the existing rules, an Opposition party can stake claim to the post in any of the Houses provided it has won a minimum 10 per cent of the total seats in the House. Since the Lower House has a total of 543 members, this number comes to 54.