In the run up for parliamentary election early next year, the Indian National Congress (INC) surged ahead in the mini polls in five states, the results of which were declared yesterday the 8th Dec’08. Of the five states, INC retained Delhi and won Mizorm, ending the decade long rule of Mizo National Front and snatched Rajasthan from BJP, albeit with a few seats short of absolute majority, which will not be a problem to lure up from 26 independents including smaller parties.
The BJP retained its two strongholds of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh with comfortable margins. However, the 3:2 score-line in favor of INC in the backdrop of Mumbai terror attacks and financial meltdown came as shot in the arms of the INC and indicated that the mature people of Delhi have overall faith in INC not withstanding terror drumming by BJP.
A glimpse of the State Polls results is given below (figures in bracket gives loss or gain from previous election): –
- Delhi: INC-42 (-5), BJP-23 (+3) BSP-2 (+2), Others-2. Election to one seat on 13th Dec’08. INC would form government for the third time in a row with Sheila Dixit as Chief Minister, who would become the longest serving woman CM in India
- Mizoram: INC-32 (+20), MNF-3 (-18), Others-5 (-2). INC literally swept the polls here routing the erstwhile terrorist outfit MNF. This was a great achievement as the people voted in no uncertain term for national integration.
- Rajasthan: INC-96 (+40), BJP-78 (-42), BSP-6 (+4), Others-20. This is a significant gain for INC and it would form government and a stable one in all likelihood.
- Madhya Pradesh: BJP-143 (-30), INC-70 (+32), BSP-6 (+4), Others-11. BJP retains the state with significant loss to INC in terms of seats.
- Chhattisgarh: BJP-50 (0), INC-38 (+1), BSP-2 (0), Only state where a sort of status quo has been maintained.
In a significant development, BSP opened account in Delhi with two seats and increased tallies in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh from two seats to six and maintained its two-seat tally in Chhattisgarh from previous election. Now BSP has a presence in all northern states and has inched towards becoming a national party in the coming years.
Of the wins INC had, the Delhi win seems to be most significant, as it is the national capital state, and where voters came out in large numbers- in favor of the outgoing government led by Sheila Dixit, which improved the state like anything- without being swayed away by a highly emotional campaign unleashed by BJP highlighting terrorist attacks.
Similarly BJP’s win in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh was also a result of their good governance. In the end, in this essentially bipolar election faught between BJP and INC, the latter came out with flying colors snatching as much as 72 seats from BJP in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and conceding only three seats to BJP in Delhi. Further INC’s sweeping win in Mizoram has given it a strong foothold in the disturbed North Eastern states. In essence INC would now face the Parliamentary elections with much more confidence than BJP, which probably has lost the initiative.
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