Every election season, the same argument comes back on TV debates, in family WhatsApp groups and at tea stalls: who actually did more for India, Congress or BJP? Supporters of each side quote numbers, and the numbers rarely match.
So I put the two records side by side, using only official government data: the Economic Survey, the Reserve Bank of India, ministry statements and replies given in Parliament. Every figure below links to its source. Where the numbers can't be fairly compared, I say so.
How this comparison works
The Congress-led UPA governed from 2004 to 2014 (Dr Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister). The BJP-led NDA has governed since May 2014 (Narendra Modi as Prime Minister).
- For the economy, I compare the UPA's second term (2009–10 to 2013–14) with the NDA years (2014–15 to 2024–25), using the same official GDP series (base year 2011–12) for both, so the numbers are like for like.
- For infrastructure, I compare the two ten-year periods, 2004–2014 and 2014–2024, plus the latest official figure for 2025–26.
- A quick guide for readers outside India: 1 lakh = 100,000 and 1 crore = 10 million.
The scorecard at a glance
| Measure | Congress (UPA) | BJP (NDA) | Better |
|---|---|---|---|
| GDP growth, yearly average | 6.7% (2009–14) | 6.2% (2014–25); 7.4% without Covid | Close |
| Inflation, yearly average | 10.3% | 5.3% | BJP |
| Farm growth, yearly average | 4.1% | 4.0% | Even |
| Factory growth, yearly average | 6.5% | 6.1% | Close |
| Goods export growth, 10 years | +276% | +41% | Congress |
| Foreign investment, 10 years | about $304 billion | $667 billion | BJP |
| National highways added, 10 years | 25,718 km | 54,858 km | BJP |
| Railway lines electrified, 10 years | 5,188 km | about 45,200 km | BJP |
| Metro rail | 248 km in 5 cities (2014) | about 1,095 km in 26 cities (2026) | BJP |
| Operating airports | 74 (2014) | 166 (2026) | BJP |
| Solar power capacity | 2.8 GW (2014) | 171 GW (2026) | BJP |
| Medical colleges | 387 (2014) | 818 (2025) | BJP |
| Rural homes with tap water | No national count | 17% (2019) → 82% (2026) | BJP |
| Unemployment | No comparable survey | 6.0% → 3.1% | Can't compare |
Now the details, one by one.
1. Economic growth: closer than both sides claim
Using the same official data series for both, India's economy grew by an average of 6.7% a year in the UPA's second term (2009–10 to 2013–14) and 6.2% a year from 2014–15 to 2024–25 (Economic Survey 2025–26, Table 1.7).
That NDA average includes 2020–21, when Covid lockdowns shrank the economy by 5.8%. Leave that one year out and the NDA average rises to 7.4%. The latest official figure, for 2025–26, is 7.7%.
Context matters on both sides. The UPA's best years (2009–11) were a rebound after the 2008 global financial crisis; its last two years slowed to about 5%. The NDA period includes demonetisation (2016), the GST rollout (2017) and the pandemic.
2. Prices and inflation: the clearest BJP win
Inflation for industrial workers (CPI-IW) averaged 10.3% a year from 2009–10 to 2013–14, and 5.3% a year from 2014–15 to 2023–24 (RBI Handbook of Statistics, Table 236). In 2024–25 it was just 3.4%.
Part of this was luck and part was policy. Crude oil cost over $100 a barrel for much of 2011–2014 and then crashed in late 2014, which helped the new government. In 2016 India also adopted a formal inflation target of 4%, which the RBI has had to follow since.
3. Farming: almost exactly the same
Agriculture grew by an average of 4.1% a year under UPA-II and 4.0% a year from 2014–15 to 2024–25 (Agricultural Statistics at a Glance 2024, Ministry of Agriculture). Farm growth depends heavily on the monsoon: 2009–10 and 2014–16 were drought years.
4. Factories and investment: mixed
On the same official series, manufacturing grew by about 6.5% a year under UPA-II and 6.1% a year from 2014–15 to 2024–25 (Economic Survey 2025–26). So "Make in India" has not yet produced faster factory growth than before.
What did change is investment. Foreign investment into India was $667 billion in 2014–2024, 119% more than the $304 billion of 2004–2014. Foreign equity investment into manufacturing alone rose from $98 billion to $165 billion (PIB, Ministry of Commerce, September 2024).
5. Exports: the clearest Congress win
India's goods exports grew from $83.5 billion in 2004–05 to $314.4 billion in 2013–14 — up 276%. From $310.3 billion in 2014–15 they reached $437.1 billion in 2023–24 — up 41% (Economic Survey 2025–26, Table 6.1B). The latest figure, for 2025–26, is $441.8 billion.
The UPA years caught a once-in-a-generation global trade boom, driven by China's rise and high commodity prices. The NDA years saw slower world trade, a pandemic and new trade wars. This comparison also covers goods only, not services such as IT and consulting, where India's exports have grown strongly.
6. Highways, railways, metros and airports: a big BJP lead
This is where the difference is largest.
- National highways: 65,569 km in 2004 → 91,287 km in 2014 → 1,46,560 km in 2025 (PIB, Road Transport Ministry, December 2025). That is 25,718 km added in the UPA decade and 54,858 km in the NDA decade to 2024.
- Railway electrification: 5,188 km of route electrified in 2004–14, against about 45,200 km in 2014–Nov 2024. By May 2026, 99.6% of India's broad-gauge network was electric (PIB, June 2025; All India Radio, May 2026).
- Railway road bridges (road over- and under-bridges that replace level crossings): 4,148 built in 2004–14, more than 13,600 in 2014–Oct 2025 (PIB, Railways, December 2025).
- Metro rail: 248 km in 5 cities in 2014 → about 1,095 km in 26 cities by March 2026 (PIB, March 2026).
- Airports: 74 operating in 2014 → 166 in 2026 (Ministry of Civil Aviation).
Three things to keep in mind. Part of the highway growth came from state roads being re-classified as national highways, not only new construction. The newest airport count includes heliports and water aerodromes, while 74 counted airports with scheduled flights. And the latest metro total includes the Delhi–Meerut Namo Bharat line.
7. Electricity and solar power
India's total installed power capacity grew from 249 GW in March 2014 to about 552 GW by July 2026, with more than half now coming from non-fossil sources (IANS, quoting government data, August 2026).
Solar is the standout. Capacity rose from 2.82 GW in 2014 to 100 GW in January 2025 (PIB, Renewable Energy Ministry) and about 171 GW by September 2026, sixty times the 2014 level.
The UPA launched the National Solar Mission in 2010 and laid the groundwork. The cost of solar panels also crashed worldwide over this period, which helped every country.
8. Hospitals and higher education
- AIIMS: India had 7 in 2014 — AIIMS Delhi plus six that opened in 2012. Those six were planned under the Vajpayee government's PMSSY scheme of 2003 and completed under the UPA. Today 23 AIIMS are approved; 19 are running classes and outpatient services, while four are still being built (Health Ministry reply in Lok Sabha, February 2026).
- Medical colleges: 387 in 2014 → 818 in 2025, and MBBS seats rose from 51,348 to 1,28,976 (Health Ministry reply in Rajya Sabha, March 2026). For 2026–27, the National Medical Commission lists 1,40,664 MBBS seats.
- IITs: 16 in 2014 → 23 today. The UPA approved eight new IITs in 2008–09; the NDA added six new ones and converted ISM Dhanbad.
- IIMs: 13 in 2014 → 22 today, including IIM Guwahati, created by law in 2025.
- Ayushman Bharat (2018) offers free hospital treatment up to ₹5 lakh per family per year to poorer families and, since 2024, to everyone over 70. More than 48 crore Ayushman cards have been issued and about 13 crore hospital admissions paid for (Health Ministry, September 2026).
9. Toilets, tap water and cooking gas
- Toilets: In 2014, only 38.7% of rural homes had a toilet. More than 12 crore household toilets have been built since, and rural India was declared open-defecation-free in 2019 (PIB, January 2026). That status was self-declared by villages, and not every toilet is in use.
- Tap water: When the Jal Jeevan Mission began in August 2019, 3.23 crore rural homes (about 17%) had a tap connection. By July 2026 it was 15.89 crore (82%) (Jal Shakti Ministry reply in Rajya Sabha, July 2026). A tap connection doesn't always mean water flows every day.
- Cooking gas: The Ujjwala scheme (2016) has given 10.58 crore free LPG connections to poor households, mainly in women's names (Petroleum Ministry reply in Lok Sabha, July 2026). Many families still struggle to afford refills.
10. Bank accounts, Aadhaar and digital payments
This is the clearest example of one government building on the other's work.
Under Congress: the first Aadhaar number was issued in September 2010, and Direct Benefit Transfer — sending subsidies straight into bank accounts — began as a pilot on 1 January 2013.
Under BJP: Jan Dhan (2014) opened bank accounts for the unbanked — 59 crore accounts by August 2026, more than half held by women (Finance Ministry, via Outlook Money). UPI (2016) turned phones into wallets: 535 crore payments in 2018–19, 24,162 crore in 2025–26 (NPCI). Around ₹54 lakh crore has now been sent through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT Bharat).
11. Big laws and reforms
Each government is remembered for different kinds of laws.
Congress-led UPA passed rights-based laws: the Right to Information Act (2005), the rural jobs guarantee MGNREGA (2005), the Right to Education Act (2009) and the National Food Security Act (2013), which gives subsidised grain to about 81 crore people today.
BJP-led NDA passed laws to change how the economy runs:
- GST (2017) replaced 17 different taxes and 13 cesses with one national tax. In 2025, "GST 2.0" cut most items to two rates, 5% and 18%.
- The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (2016) gave lenders a way to recover money from failed companies. Lenders have recovered over ₹4 lakh crore, though that is only about a third of what they were owed, and cases take about two years against a legal limit of 330 days (IBBI data via ICRA).
- One Nation One Ration Card (2019) lets migrant workers collect their food-security ration in any state, building on the UPA's 2013 food law.
12. Jobs: the honest answer is "we can't compare"
This is the question people care about most, and the data is the weakest.
India's current employment survey (PLFS) only began in 2017–18, so there is no matching figure for the UPA years. Within this survey, unemployment fell from 6.0% in 2017–18 to 3.2% in 2023–24, and 3.1% in 2025 (MoSPI, March 2026).
A low unemployment rate also hides a lot: low pay, unpaid family work and informal jobs all count as "employed". A newer monthly survey, using a stricter measure, shows unemployment at 5.0% in September 2026.
What the numbers don't show
Statistics measure what was built and how fast things grew. They don't measure everything that matters to people:
- Quality: how good schools and government hospitals are, or whether a tap actually has water.
- Who gained: whether growth reached the poorest families, or mostly the better-off.
- Freedoms and institutions: press freedom, the independence of agencies, and communal harmony. These are fiercely debated, and no single number settles them.
- Corruption: the UPA's second term was marked by major scandals (2G, Commonwealth Games, coal blocks). Critics of the NDA point to electoral bonds and agency raids on opposition leaders. Neither fits a scorecard.
The bottom line
If you measure construction and delivery — roads, rail, power, toilets, tap water, bank accounts, digital payments — the BJP-led government has done more, and faster, than any government before it.
If you measure raw growth, the gap is much smaller than either side claims. Congress did slightly better on GDP growth and much better on exports; farming and factory growth were about the same; BJP kept prices far lower.
And many of the biggest success stories were relay races, not solo runs: Aadhaar and DBT started under Congress, the six AIIMS of 2012 were planned under Vajpayee, and the solar mission began in 2010.
India's development has been built by more than one government. The more useful question for voters is not who did more in the past, but what each party promises to fix next — jobs, the quality of schools and hospitals, and farm incomes.
How this article was checked: every figure was compared with official sources — the Economic Survey, the Reserve Bank of India, PIB releases, ministry data and answers given in Parliament — on 24 October 2026. Where the government's figure was reported by a news outlet, the link goes to that report. Spotted a mistake? Write to us through the contact page and we will correct it.
Which of these matters most to you — prices, roads, jobs or hospitals? React below, and share this with the friend who always starts this argument in your family WhatsApp group.
