After the landslide victory in Indian general elections, BJP entered the electoral contest with a lot of confidence.

Both Maharashtra and Haryana were already being ruled by the BJP but the election results threw a surprise for the largest party in the country.

First, let's take a look at Maharashtra. The contest was for 288 seats.&nbsp;

The Maharashtra assembly has 289 seats — but one seat is reserved for a nominated member.&nbsp;

The magic number for Maharashtra is 144. BJP has won 104 seats as compared to 122 in 2014 elections. A dip of 18 seats.

While its alliance partner Shiv Sena also lost 7 seats as compared to 2014. Last time they had won 63 seats. While this time their tally was at 56.

The incumbent alliance is set to form the govt again. But the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance has underperformed in the state. They have fallen short of their target of 220 seats.

Congress and NCP had joined hands for the elections. And the decision has paid well for them.

Especially for Sharad Pawar, his beleaguered party has managed to slow the saffron march in the state.

NCP gained 13 seats. As compared to 41 in 2014. Pawar's party got 54 seats this time.

While congress to benefit from the alliance. They won 45 seats this time As compared to 42 in the last elections. A gain of 3 seats.

Ministers bite dust

Even though Sena and BJP are set to form the government, 7 of their sitting minister have been defeated.&nbsp;

Topping the chart is Pankaja Munde. She has lost from the parliament constituency of Maharashtra.&nbsp;

She is the daughter of late BJP veteran — Gopinath Munde. She is also the state's rural development, and women and child welfare minister.

Another interesting detail is that BJP did not benefit from the Shiv Sena alliance. When BJP went alone in 2014, it got seats in triple numbers and with the alliance, the party got confined to double-digit. The alliance did not work well for BJP in 2019.

After the landslide victory in Indian general elections, BJP entered the electoral contest with a lot of confidence. Both Maharashtra and Haryana were already being ruled by the BJP but the election results threw a surprise for the largest party in the country.

After the landslide victory in Indian general elections, BJP entered the electoral contest with a lot of confidence. Both Maharashtra and Haryana were already being ruled by the BJP but the election results threw a surprise for the largest party in the country. First, let's take a look at Maharashtra. The contest was for 288 seats. The Maharashtra assembly has 289 seats — but one seat is reserved for a nominated member. The magic number for Maharashtra is 144. BJP has won 104 seats as compared to 122 in 2014 elections. A dip of 18 seats. While its alliance partner Shiv Sena also lost 7 seats as compared to 2014. Last time they had won 63 seats. While this time their tally was at 56. The incumbent alliance is set to form the govt again. But the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance has underperformed in the state. They have fallen short of their target of 220 seats. Congress and NCP had joined hands for the elections. And the decision has paid well for them. Especially for Sharad Pawar, his beleaguered party has managed to slow the saffron march in the state. NCP gained 13 seats. As compared to 41 in 2014. Pawar's party got 54 seats this time. While congress to benefit from the alliance. They won 45 seats this time As compared to 42 in the last elections. A gain of 3 seats. Ministers bite dust Even though Sena and BJP are set to form the government, 7 of their sitting minister have been defeated. Topping the chart is Pankaja Munde. She has lost from the parliament constituency of Maharashtra. She is the daughter of late BJP veteran — Gopinath Munde. She is also the state's rural development, and women and child welfare minister. Another interesting detail is that BJP did not benefit from the Shiv Sena alliance. When BJP went alone in 2014, it got seats in triple numbers and with the alliance, the party got confined to double-digit. The alliance did not work well for BJP in 2019.

Maharashtra assembly election results 2019: BJP-Shiv Sena set to form govt but fall short of their projected target

The BJP and its ally Shiv Sena are continuing to surge in Maharashtra with leads on 103 and 60 assembly constituencies, respectively, as counting of votes is underway, according to official trends of the Election Commission (EC).

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) was ahead in 52 seats and its ally Congress on 41, at the time of filing this report.

There are 288 seats in the Maharashtra assembly. Counting of votes began at 8 am today.

The state went to polls in a single phase on October 21.

The BJP had contested on 150 seats while Shiv Sena had fielded its candidates in 124 constituencies in the state. The remaining seats were left for smaller allies. On the other hand, Congress contested the polls in alliance with the NCP.

Most exit polls have predicted the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance getting elected in Maharashtra but have differed in their projection of the number of seats.

The assembly elections are the first after the BJP-led government's decision to revoke Article 370. A verdict in its favour will give a boost to the party ahead of the winter session of Parliament next month.

A victory will also keep the political momentum with the BJP after its emphatic victory in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The polls are equally as crucial for the Congress which has faced desertions after its second successive debacle in the Lok Sabha polls. A strong performance will help the party in its process of electoral revival.

The BJP has already declared that incumbent Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will continue to lead the state government if the party is voted to power.

The BJP and its ally Shiv Sena are continuing to surge in Maharashtra with leads on 103 and 60 assembly constituencies, respectively, as counting of votes is underway, according to official trends of the Election Commission (EC).

The BJP and its ally Shiv Sena are continuing to surge in Maharashtra with leads on 103 and 60 assembly constituencies, respectively, as counting of votes is underway, according to official trends of the Election Commission (EC). The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) was ahead in 52 seats and its ally Congress on 41, at the time of filing this report. There are 288 seats in the Maharashtra assembly. Counting of votes began at 8 am today. The state went to polls in a single phase on October 21. The BJP had contested on 150 seats while Shiv Sena had fielded its candidates in 124 constituencies in the state. The remaining seats were left for smaller allies. On the other hand, Congress contested the polls in alliance with the NCP. Most exit polls have predicted the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance getting elected in Maharashtra but have differed in their projection of the number of seats. The assembly elections are the first after the BJP-led government's decision to revoke Article 370. A verdict in its favour will give a boost to the party ahead of the winter session of Parliament next month. A victory will also keep the political momentum with the BJP after its emphatic victory in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The polls are equally as crucial for the Congress which has faced desertions after its second successive debacle in the Lok Sabha polls. A strong performance will help the party in its process of electoral revival. The BJP has already declared that incumbent Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will continue to lead the state government if the party is voted to power.

BJP, Shiv Sena continue to surge in Maharashtra

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena combine on Thursday raced ahead in its bid to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/haryana-and-maharashtra-elections-prove-that-opposition-votes-exist-but-require-leadership-257923">retain power in Maharashtra</a>.

The alliance appeared comfortably ahead of the Opposition Congress-NCP alliance and looked all set to form government.

The alliance is leading on 160 seats while the Congress and NCP combine is leading on 90 seats, as per the Election Commission figure available.&nbsp;

Exit polls had predicted a comfortable win for the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance government in the state.&nbsp;

From the Opposition camp, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) was leading in 56 seats and its coalition partner Congress was ahead in 44 constituencies. Independents were ahead in 14 constituencies.

Going by the trends, the BJP's tally is lesser by 20 seats, compared to its performance in the last Assembly elections held in 2014. Shiv Sena had 63 seats last time.

The NCP appears to have improved its performance significantly as it had got 41 seats in the last Assembly elections when the Congress had managed 42 seats.

(With inputs from agencies)

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena combine on Thursday raced ahead in its bid to retain power in Maharashtra. The alliance appeared comfortably ahead of the Opposition Congress-NCP alliance and looked all set to form government.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena combine on Thursday raced ahead in its bid to retain power in Maharashtra. The alliance appeared comfortably ahead of the Opposition Congress-NCP alliance and looked all set to form government. The alliance is leading on 160 seats while the Congress and NCP combine is leading on 90 seats, as per the Election Commission figure available. Exit polls had predicted a comfortable win for the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance government in the state. From the Opposition camp, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) was leading in 56 seats and its coalition partner Congress was ahead in 44 constituencies. Independents were ahead in 14 constituencies. Going by the trends, the BJP's tally is lesser by 20 seats, compared to its performance in the last Assembly elections held in 2014. Shiv Sena had 63 seats last time. The NCP appears to have improved its performance significantly as it had got 41 seats in the last Assembly elections when the Congress had managed 42 seats. (With inputs from agencies)

BJP-Shiv Sena set to form government in Maharashtra

With the announcement of results for Assembly elections 2018, the curtain has come down on 15-years of BJP rule in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

In Chhattisgarh, the Congress has trounced the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and emerged victorious by winning 67 of the 89 seats for which results had been declared till Wednesday morning. It was also leading in one more constituency for which the result was awaited. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has been reduced to just 15 seats in the state Assembly having a total strength of 90. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has bagged 2 seats while its electoral ally, the newly floated Janata Congress Chhattisgarh, headed by former chief minister Ajit Jogi, has won 5 seats.

Anti-incumbency is being viewed as the main factor for BJP’s defeat in Chhattisgarh. Inner party rivalry, poor ticket distribution and the rebel backlash are also being cited as reasons for defeat by BJP insiders.

In Madhya Pradesh, it has been a neck-and-neck fight been the BJP and Congress. The counting of votes began in this central Indian state, along with the other states that also went to polls, at 8 am on Tuesday. It was a cliffhanger for both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress as the trends kept swinging throughout the day while counting progressed. On Wednesday morning, when the final results came in, the Congress had stolen the show with 114 seats. The BJP has won 109, Bahujan Samaj Party trails far behind with 2 seats and the Samajwadi Party with 1. Four Independent Candidates also have been declared elected in the state.

The close fight between the BJP and Congress notwithstanding, what demonstrates people’s massive disenchantment and anger against the highhandedness and arrogance of state BJP ministers is the defeat of more than a dozen of them. They include Madhya Pradesh finance minister Jayant Malaiya, Archana Chitnis, Deepak Joshi, Umashankar Gupta, Rustam Singh, Jaibhan Singh Pawaiya, Antar Singh Arya, Narayan Singh Kushwah, Om Prakash Dhurve, Lal Singh Arya, Lalita Yadav, and Balkrishna Patidar

Even as counting of votes was in progress for a number of constituencies in Madhya Pradesh, state Congress president Kamal Nath despatched a &nbsp;letter to the state Governor on Tuesday evening to seek an appointment to stake the claim for government formation. This initiative was taken obviously to pre-empt a move in the same direction by the BJP as no party was gaining an absolute majority.

Besides, it’s committed voters and huge cadre base, supported and backed by the RSS, the BJP was banking heavily on chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s popularity and also the prolonged work done by the RSS-backed Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram and the Vivekanand Kendra to bring the tribals closer to the BJP. In Madhya Pradesh, there is a quasi-government body, the Jan Abhiyan Parishad, headed by the chief minister. This body loaded with top state government functionaries regulates and gives accreditation to registered NGOs to promote and implement government policies and programmes. This body was used to the hilt in the rural areas by the BJP, as in past elections, to garner votes.

The BJP was also sure of extensive voter support due to its student-centric schemes. About 15 million school students in Madhya Pradesh are receiving scholarships online. After Shivraj Singh Chouhan became chief minister for the third time in a row in 2013, the state government also began providing free smartphones bicycles, and boarding facilities to students.

These schemes failed to deliver the electoral advantage on expected lines to the BJP and Chouhan met his Waterloo with his&nbsp;much-condemned statement “no mother’s son can bring to an end the reservation system” besides the amendment to the SC/ST Atrocities Act. The BJP stand on these counts eroded much of its traditional support base.

The BJP also has suffered a huge backlash from the agrarian sector in the state. Mainstream media has reported how the insurance companies have benefited more than farmers from Narendra Modi government's crop insurance scheme. Police firing and suicide by farmers, loan burden, crop failure and poor handling of procurement and mismanagement of Bhavantar Yojna (scheme to pay the difference in minimum support price and the selling price) went against the BJP in Madhya Pradesh. 
 
Anti-incumbency, unemployment, long-term impact of demonetisation, drawbacks in GST and poor governance are also factors that have cost the BJP dear. 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

With the announcement of results for Assembly elections 2018, the curtain has come down on 15-years of BJP rule in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. In Chhattisgarh, the Congress has trounced the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and emerged victorious by winning 67 of the 89 seats for which results had been declared till Wednesday morning.

With the announcement of results for Assembly elections 2018, the curtain has come down on 15-years of BJP rule in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. In Chhattisgarh, the Congress has trounced the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and emerged victorious by winning 67 of the 89 seats for which results had been declared till Wednesday morning. It was also leading in one more constituency for which the result was awaited. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has been reduced to just 15 seats in the state Assembly having a total strength of 90. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has bagged 2 seats while its electoral ally, the newly floated Janata Congress Chhattisgarh, headed by former chief minister Ajit Jogi, has won 5 seats. Anti-incumbency is being viewed as the main factor for BJP’s defeat in Chhattisgarh. Inner party rivalry, poor ticket distribution and the rebel backlash are also being cited as reasons for defeat by BJP insiders. In Madhya Pradesh, it has been a neck-and-neck fight been the BJP and Congress. The counting of votes began in this central Indian state, along with the other states that also went to polls, at 8 am on Tuesday. It was a cliffhanger for both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress as the trends kept swinging throughout the day while counting progressed. On Wednesday morning, when the final results came in, the Congress had stolen the show with 114 seats. The BJP has won 109, Bahujan Samaj Party trails far behind with 2 seats and the Samajwadi Party with 1. Four Independent Candidates also have been declared elected in the state. The close fight between the BJP and Congress notwithstanding, what demonstrates people’s massive disenchantment and anger against the highhandedness and arrogance of state BJP ministers is the defeat of more than a dozen of them. They include Madhya Pradesh finance minister Jayant Malaiya, Archana Chitnis, Deepak Joshi, Umashankar Gupta, Rustam Singh, Jaibhan Singh Pawaiya, Antar Singh Arya, Narayan Singh Kushwah, Om Prakash Dhurve, Lal Singh Arya, Lalita Yadav, and Balkrishna Patidar Even as counting of votes was in progress for a number of constituencies in Madhya Pradesh, state Congress president Kamal Nath despatched a letter to the state Governor on Tuesday evening to seek an appointment to stake the claim for government formation. This initiative was taken obviously to pre-empt a move in the same direction by the BJP as no party was gaining an absolute majority. Besides, it’s committed voters and huge cadre base, supported and backed by the RSS, the BJP was banking heavily on chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s popularity and also the prolonged work done by the RSS-backed Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram and the Vivekanand Kendra to bring the tribals closer to the BJP. In Madhya Pradesh, there is a quasi-government body, the Jan Abhiyan Parishad, headed by the chief minister. This body loaded with top state government functionaries regulates and gives accreditation to registered NGOs to promote and implement government policies and programmes. This body was used to the hilt in the rural areas by the BJP, as in past elections, to garner votes. The BJP was also sure of extensive voter support due to its student-centric schemes. About 15 million school students in Madhya Pradesh are receiving scholarships online. After Shivraj Singh Chouhan became chief minister for the third time in a row in 2013, the state government also began providing free smartphones bicycles, and boarding facilities to students. These schemes failed to deliver the electoral advantage on expected lines to the BJP and Chouhan met his Waterloo with his much-condemned statement “no mother’s son can bring to an end the reservation system” besides the amendment to the SC/ST Atrocities Act. The BJP stand on these counts eroded much of its traditional support base. The BJP also has suffered a huge backlash from the agrarian sector in the state. Mainstream media has reported how the insurance companies have benefited more than farmers from Narendra Modi government's crop insurance scheme. Police firing and suicide by farmers, loan burden, crop failure and poor handling of procurement and mismanagement of Bhavantar Yojna (scheme to pay the difference in minimum support price and the selling price) went against the BJP in Madhya Pradesh. Anti-incumbency, unemployment, long-term impact of demonetisation, drawbacks in GST and poor governance are also factors that have cost the BJP dear. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Curtain comes down on BJP rule in Hindi heartland states

The Prime Minister’s exhortation to political parties at the start of the winter session of Parliament to debate issues, bore an extraordinarily friendly tinge. “Let’s debate sharply if you want. Let’s rise above party politics to discuss public issues and have a ‘samwad’, ( dialogue ) he said.

It is hard to read whether that mellowed and fervent appeal from PM Modi reflected his mental turmoil at a time when counting for five state elections were in progress and the BJP seemed to be trailing in all the five states.&nbsp;

As the trends started pouring in for the five states, it became clear the K Chandrashekhar Rao government was retaining its hold over Telangana and the people wanted Raman Singh and Lal Thanhawla out in Chhattisgarh and Mizoram respectively.

But it were the electoral trends in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan that kept party workers, supporters and political pundits, guessing through the day. The two states saw a tortuous seesaw battle between the two major contenders – the BJP which was defending its turf in both the states, and the Congress, the principal challenger.&nbsp;

A few takeaways. Chhattisgarh proved to be a veritable case of voter fatigue. The Congress’s early start to campaigning in the state coupled with populist promises of farm loan waiver proved decisive. The anti-incumbency only rubbed the proverbial salt into Raman Singh’s wounds bringing his juggernaut to a halt.&nbsp;

Chhattisgarh may well be in the Congress kitty, but there are no less than four contenders for the post of chief minister, including party state unit chief Bhupesh Baghel, the party’s lone MP from Durg, Tamradhwaj Sahu and former leader in last state assembly T S Singh Deo. Former minister Charan Das Mahant is also in the race.

In MP, Congress leaders went into a huddle deliberating each and every result as they poured in. They don’t want the BJP to do a Goa in MP. In such a close contest, the Congress shall prefer a veteran like Kamal Nath over Jyotiraditya to lead the party in the Assembly, in the event of it maintaining the lead and being invited to form the government.

In neighbouring MP, Shivraj Singh proved to be a tough customer, refusing to cede ground to the Congress. As the trend emerged it seemed ‘Mamaji’ could sail through. But by late afternoon, the trends had tipped towards the Congress. It consistently hovered around the mid-way mark of 115, at times even slipping as the BJP caught up to close the gap, keeping the game wide open for either party.

It appears the Congress strategy of not projecting a CM face did not go down well with the voters in a state that had grown familiar with the style and functioning of Chouhan over the last decade-and-a-half. His ‘personal touch’ with constituents is now legendary. This only shrunk Congress’s lead.

Even in Rajasthan, the party fell short of its own expectations. The state alternates between the Congress and the BJP. The BJP had returned to power in 2013 with more than three-fourth majority. By evening, the Congress barely crossed the halfway mark on Tuesday, as the trend showed BJP losing half of its seats.&nbsp;

As in other states, the Congress had not projected any CM face and had relied on the ingeniousness of a veteran like Ashok Gehlot and a young colt like Sachin Pilot, heading the party in the state. &nbsp;But the ticket distribution triggered rebellion in the party. The trends showed 25 ‘Others’ leading in their respective constituencies. Later it turned out, many of these ‘Others’ were Congress rebels. Gehlot seems to have an edge over Pilot in the race for chief ministership.

The Congress went alone in both these states, failing to strike an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party. And this could have led to party’s less than bright showing in the state.

With Mizoram having slipped from the Congress kitty, the BJP has partly realised its dream of a Congress-mukt North-East, though the BJP barely managed to win a single seat.&nbsp;

The BJP was handed a drubbing in Telangana, where voters rejected brand Hindutva. The BJP did everything it could to polarise the elections by pitching Yogi Adityanath as star campaigner in the last leg. Yogi’s acerbic utterances in Hyderabad boomeranged on the party. Modi lost, but Rahul did not win. Congress’s Hindu card and its recent flirtation with religiosity did not yield results.&nbsp;

In fact, the monster of demonetisation followed by clumsy execution of GST only weighed heavily on the three BJP chief ministers, as they geared for campaigning at the start of the elections. Posters and banners bore images of chief ministers, rather than Prime Minister Modi. Agrarian distress coupled with shrinking job avenues did not help matters.

The state election results have proved that the BJP’s hypothesis of delivering a Congress-mukt Bharat had no firm basis. If at all, the BJP needs Congress for its survival and vice-versa.&nbsp;

The election results may give Rahul more heft in the Mahagathbandhan, if it firms up, but it has also underlined that if he fails to stitch up strategic alliances he shall be a loser nonetheless. 
&nbsp;

(This article was originally published on DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-hand-that-rocked-the-boat-2695006">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

The Prime Minister’s exhortation to political parties at the start of the winter session of Parliament to debate issues, bore an extraordinarily friendly tinge. “Let’s debate sharply if you want.

The Prime Minister’s exhortation to political parties at the start of the winter session of Parliament to debate issues, bore an extraordinarily friendly tinge. “Let’s debate sharply if you want. Let’s rise above party politics to discuss public issues and have a ‘samwad’, ( dialogue ) he said. It is hard to read whether that mellowed and fervent appeal from PM Modi reflected his mental turmoil at a time when counting for five state elections were in progress and the BJP seemed to be trailing in all the five states. As the trends started pouring in for the five states, it became clear the K Chandrashekhar Rao government was retaining its hold over Telangana and the people wanted Raman Singh and Lal Thanhawla out in Chhattisgarh and Mizoram respectively. But it were the electoral trends in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan that kept party workers, supporters and political pundits, guessing through the day. The two states saw a tortuous seesaw battle between the two major contenders – the BJP which was defending its turf in both the states, and the Congress, the principal challenger. A few takeaways. Chhattisgarh proved to be a veritable case of voter fatigue. The Congress’s early start to campaigning in the state coupled with populist promises of farm loan waiver proved decisive. The anti-incumbency only rubbed the proverbial salt into Raman Singh’s wounds bringing his juggernaut to a halt. Chhattisgarh may well be in the Congress kitty, but there are no less than four contenders for the post of chief minister, including party state unit chief Bhupesh Baghel, the party’s lone MP from Durg, Tamradhwaj Sahu and former leader in last state assembly T S Singh Deo. Former minister Charan Das Mahant is also in the race. In MP, Congress leaders went into a huddle deliberating each and every result as they poured in. They don’t want the BJP to do a Goa in MP. In such a close contest, the Congress shall prefer a veteran like Kamal Nath over Jyotiraditya to lead the party in the Assembly, in the event of it maintaining the lead and being invited to form the government. In neighbouring MP, Shivraj Singh proved to be a tough customer, refusing to cede ground to the Congress. As the trend emerged it seemed ‘Mamaji’ could sail through. But by late afternoon, the trends had tipped towards the Congress. It consistently hovered around the mid-way mark of 115, at times even slipping as the BJP caught up to close the gap, keeping the game wide open for either party. It appears the Congress strategy of not projecting a CM face did not go down well with the voters in a state that had grown familiar with the style and functioning of Chouhan over the last decade-and-a-half. His ‘personal touch’ with constituents is now legendary. This only shrunk Congress’s lead. Even in Rajasthan, the party fell short of its own expectations. The state alternates between the Congress and the BJP. The BJP had returned to power in 2013 with more than three-fourth majority. By evening, the Congress barely crossed the halfway mark on Tuesday, as the trend showed BJP losing half of its seats. As in other states, the Congress had not projected any CM face and had relied on the ingeniousness of a veteran like Ashok Gehlot and a young colt like Sachin Pilot, heading the party in the state. But the ticket distribution triggered rebellion in the party. The trends showed 25 ‘Others’ leading in their respective constituencies. Later it turned out, many of these ‘Others’ were Congress rebels. Gehlot seems to have an edge over Pilot in the race for chief ministership. The Congress went alone in both these states, failing to strike an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party. And this could have led to party’s less than bright showing in the state. With Mizoram having slipped from the Congress kitty, the BJP has partly realised its dream of a Congress-mukt North-East, though the BJP barely managed to win a single seat. The BJP was handed a drubbing in Telangana, where voters rejected brand Hindutva. The BJP did everything it could to polarise the elections by pitching Yogi Adityanath as star campaigner in the last leg. Yogi’s acerbic utterances in Hyderabad boomeranged on the party. Modi lost, but Rahul did not win. Congress’s Hindu card and its recent flirtation with religiosity did not yield results. In fact, the monster of demonetisation followed by clumsy execution of GST only weighed heavily on the three BJP chief ministers, as they geared for campaigning at the start of the elections. Posters and banners bore images of chief ministers, rather than Prime Minister Modi. Agrarian distress coupled with shrinking job avenues did not help matters. The state election results have proved that the BJP’s hypothesis of delivering a Congress-mukt Bharat had no firm basis. If at all, the BJP needs Congress for its survival and vice-versa. The election results may give Rahul more heft in the Mahagathbandhan, if it firms up, but it has also underlined that if he fails to stitch up strategic alliances he shall be a loser nonetheless. (This article was originally published on DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

PM Narendra Modi lost, but Rahul Gandhi did not win

Congress Party has made a come-back. This time the credit for this victory goes to none other than Rahul Gandhi who took over as Congress President a year back.

After a series of defeats and upsets, Rahul Gandhi has earned the victory for himself. Such was the image problem that the&nbsp;win in Punjab was not attributed to the planning he did, instead, the credit went to Captain Amarinder Singh.&nbsp;

This time around it was his campaign style and selection of issues which worked for the party. There was also no Sonia Gandhi around with whom the credit could be shared with.

The results themselves are an eye-opener. It breaks the myth of BJP of turning around lost elections. It also breaks the myth of Congress as a failed party which cannot fight elections against the Modi-Shah regime. The result also breaks the myth of impregnable strength of RSS which had been projected as an organisation that had mastered the dark art of winning elections in India.

This election also saw senior and junior leadership of the Congress fighting elections. But the best surprise came from Chhattisgarh where Congress leadership was non-existent. The Congress sweep in Chhattisgarh shows that electoral turn around can also take place in absence of state leadership if the messaging on key issues remain clear and strong.

Though it does not mean that Congress on its own is set to sweep elections in 2019. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee after sweeping the three north Indian states in 2003 went on to lose the national elections in 2004.

It is a lesson to BJP that not all elections can be polarised on emotive issues. It is a reminder to them that rural distress and anti-farmer messaging by Congress against BJP can have disastrous results and cannot be ignored.

But Congress should also ponder over two issues. It has not been able to recover ground in Telangana. The arithmetic did not create the right chemistry which could attract the voters. In fact, it shows that the opportunistic alliance does not work at local level and Telangana repeated Uttar Pradesh where SP-Congress alliance failed to counter BJP which it swept handsomely. More so, Congress has been wiped out of Northeast. Probably it is first time after 1952 that Northeast does not a single state under its belt. Northeast has truly become 'Congress Mukt'.&nbsp;

Congress should also learn a lesson from Amit Shah's campaign style which resurrected his party in Rajasthan where political pundits gave clean sweep to the Congress Party. Congress will form the government in the state but it will not be called a sweep.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The victory will allow Rahul Gandhi to assert himself far more powerfully with regional parties to negotiate alliances which would be state specific. The victory also thwarts the idea of 'Grand Alliance' in which Congress would have been the side player.&nbsp;

The victory has given Rahul Gandhi a window right before the Lok Sabha elections to position himself to negotiate a better bargain for the Congress. This time he will be taken more seriously.

BJP, on the other hand, will have to rethink whether they would fight the election on governance issue or an emotive issue like Ayodhya. The clock ticks for both Congress and BJP but as of now, Congress has survived the bout to stay in the ring as a credible challenger for 2019 elections which a year back was being thought a cakewalk for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;

Congress Party has made a come-back. This time the credit for this victory goes to none other than Rahul Gandhi who took over as Congress President a year back. After a series of defeats and upsets, Rahul Gandhi has earned the victory for himself.

Congress Party has made a come-back. This time the credit for this victory goes to none other than Rahul Gandhi who took over as Congress President a year back. After a series of defeats and upsets, Rahul Gandhi has earned the victory for himself. Such was the image problem that the win in Punjab was not attributed to the planning he did, instead, the credit went to Captain Amarinder Singh. This time around it was his campaign style and selection of issues which worked for the party. There was also no Sonia Gandhi around with whom the credit could be shared with. The results themselves are an eye-opener. It breaks the myth of BJP of turning around lost elections. It also breaks the myth of Congress as a failed party which cannot fight elections against the Modi-Shah regime. The result also breaks the myth of impregnable strength of RSS which had been projected as an organisation that had mastered the dark art of winning elections in India. This election also saw senior and junior leadership of the Congress fighting elections. But the best surprise came from Chhattisgarh where Congress leadership was non-existent. The Congress sweep in Chhattisgarh shows that electoral turn around can also take place in absence of state leadership if the messaging on key issues remain clear and strong. Though it does not mean that Congress on its own is set to sweep elections in 2019. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee after sweeping the three north Indian states in 2003 went on to lose the national elections in 2004. It is a lesson to BJP that not all elections can be polarised on emotive issues. It is a reminder to them that rural distress and anti-farmer messaging by Congress against BJP can have disastrous results and cannot be ignored. But Congress should also ponder over two issues. It has not been able to recover ground in Telangana. The arithmetic did not create the right chemistry which could attract the voters. In fact, it shows that the opportunistic alliance does not work at local level and Telangana repeated Uttar Pradesh where SP-Congress alliance failed to counter BJP which it swept handsomely. More so, Congress has been wiped out of Northeast. Probably it is first time after 1952 that Northeast does not a single state under its belt. Northeast has truly become 'Congress Mukt'. Congress should also learn a lesson from Amit Shah's campaign style which resurrected his party in Rajasthan where political pundits gave clean sweep to the Congress Party. Congress will form the government in the state but it will not be called a sweep. The victory will allow Rahul Gandhi to assert himself far more powerfully with regional parties to negotiate alliances which would be state specific. The victory also thwarts the idea of 'Grand Alliance' in which Congress would have been the side player. The victory has given Rahul Gandhi a window right before the Lok Sabha elections to position himself to negotiate a better bargain for the Congress. This time he will be taken more seriously. BJP, on the other hand, will have to rethink whether they would fight the election on governance issue or an emotive issue like Ayodhya. The clock ticks for both Congress and BJP but as of now, Congress has survived the bout to stay in the ring as a credible challenger for 2019 elections which a year back was being thought a cakewalk for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Rahul Gandhi 2.0: Hand also rises

With election trends showing reverses for the BJP, senior party leader and Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said the polls were fought on the basis of the performance of state governments, rejecting the notion that the results would be a reflection of the Modi government.

He also pointed out the Congress-led grand alliance was heading to a "huge defeat" in Telangana, where the TRS appears set to retain to power with a big majority.

Talking to reporters outside Parliament, he also offered his congratulations to all the winning parties and candidates.

As per trends, the Congress was comfortable ahead of the ruling BJP in Chhattisgarh and has an edge over it in Rajasthan. Both parties were locked in a neck and neck race in Madhya Pradesh while the Congress appeared to be losing power in Mizoram to Mizo National Front.

With election trends showing reverses for the BJP, senior party leader and Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said the polls were fought on the basis of the performance of state governments, rejecting the notion that the results would be a reflection of the Modi government.

With election trends showing reverses for the BJP, senior party leader and Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said the polls were fought on the basis of the performance of state governments, rejecting the notion that the results would be a reflection of the Modi government. He also pointed out the Congress-led grand alliance was heading to a "huge defeat" in Telangana, where the TRS appears set to retain to power with a big majority. Talking to reporters outside Parliament, he also offered his congratulations to all the winning parties and candidates. As per trends, the Congress was comfortable ahead of the ruling BJP in Chhattisgarh and has an edge over it in Rajasthan. Both parties were locked in a neck and neck race in Madhya Pradesh while the Congress appeared to be losing power in Mizoram to Mizo National Front.

Polls were fought on state governments' performance: Rajnath Singh

"People will vote to end corrupt BJP politics", Shobha Oza

A petrol bomb was allegedly hurled at BJP office in Tamil Nadu&rsquo;s Coimbatore early today.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a> Coimbatore: A petrol bomb was hurled at BJP office earlier today <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TamilNadu?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TamilNadu</a> <a href="https://t.co/hl3WRO0aB7">pic.twitter.com/hl3WRO0aB7</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/971213779064229890?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2018</a></blockquote>
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A video released by news agency ANI shows that a few men throwing the bomb at the BJP office. The men managed to flee the spot after carrying out the attack. The attack on the BJP office comes against the backdrop of widespread violence in Tripura where state Assembly election results were declared recently.

A statue of Dravidian icon Periyar was allegedly vandalised in Vellore last night. The police have arrested two men. &quot;One man is a BJP member and another a CPI worker,&quot; the police said.

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Coimbatore: A petrol bomb was hurled at BJP office earlier today <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TamilNadu?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TamilNadu</a> <a href="https://t.co/79x0FrjAZo">pic.twitter.com/79x0FrjAZo</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/971212964123508736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2018</a></blockquote>
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According to the police, the act of vandalism occurred at around 9.15 pm in Tirupattur in Vellore district. The two men involved in the act were allegedly drunk. The statue was reportedly in front a government building.

This came after a BJP leader had hinted that statues of E V Ramasamy Periyar could be the next to be pulled down. A statute of Communist icon Lenin was allegedly bulledozed by suspected BJP workers in Tripura. Police have arrested two persons. The accused have been identified as Muthuraman and Francis. While Muthuraman was reportedly a BJP worker, Francis is suspected to be a CPI activist.

Yesterday BJP leader H Raja posted in Facebook in Tamil saying, &ldquo;Who is Lenin and what is the connection between Lenin and India? What connection India has with Communists? Today Lenin&rsquo;s statue removed in Tripura, tomorrow it will be the statue of EV Ramasamy in Tamil Nadu.&rdquo;

The attack on the BJP office comes against the backdrop of widespread violence in Tripura where state Assembly election results were declared recently.

A petrol bomb was allegedly hurled at BJP office in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore early today. #WATCH Coimbatore: A petrol bomb was hurled at BJP office earlier today #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/hl3WRO0aB7 — ANI (@ANI) March 7, 2018 × A video released by news agency ANI shows that a few men throwing the bomb at the BJP office. The men managed to flee the spot after carrying out the attack. The attack on the BJP office comes against the backdrop of widespread violence in Tripura where state Assembly election results were declared recently. A statue of Dravidian icon Periyar was allegedly vandalised in Vellore last night. The police have arrested two men. "One man is a BJP member and another a CPI worker," the police said. Coimbatore: A petrol bomb was hurled at BJP office earlier today #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/79x0FrjAZo — ANI (@ANI) March 7, 2018 × According to the police, the act of vandalism occurred at around 9.15 pm in Tirupattur in Vellore district. The two men involved in the act were allegedly drunk. The statue was reportedly in front a government building. This came after a BJP leader had hinted that statues of E V Ramasamy Periyar could be the next to be pulled down. A statute of Communist icon Lenin was allegedly bulledozed by suspected BJP workers in Tripura. Police have arrested two persons. The accused have been identified as Muthuraman and Francis. While Muthuraman was reportedly a BJP worker, Francis is suspected to be a CPI activist. Yesterday BJP leader H Raja posted in Facebook in Tamil saying, “Who is Lenin and what is the connection between Lenin and India? What connection India has with Communists? Today Lenin’s statue removed in Tripura, tomorrow it will be the statue of EV Ramasamy in Tamil Nadu.”

Watch: Petrol bomb hurled at BJP office in Coimbatore

The state of Himachal Pradesh is all set to welcome the new BJP government.

The results announced on Monday morning showed favourable results for BJP. The BJP is leading in over 40 seats, while Congress fluctuating in twenty plus seats.

Haryana Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh who contested from Arki assembly seat is leading.&nbsp;

The BJP chief ministerial candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal has also regained the lead&nbsp;after trailing by&nbsp;over 1700 votes.&nbsp;

The Election Commission has said that the vote share of BJP in the elections is 48.6 per cent, which is 10 per cent more than the assembly elections held in 2012.

The vote share of Congress came out as 41.8 per cent votes, reducing to 1 per cent from the 2012 elections.&nbsp;

There was a close battle between the BJP and the Congress in the assembly election held in the state in 2012. The Congress won 36 seats while the BJP bagged 26 seats.&nbsp;

Since the past 24 years, Himachal Pradesh has had alternative governments between the BJP and the Congress.&nbsp;

The state underwent single phase polling&nbsp;on November 9. The total number of seats in the state is 68. For winning the elections a party needs to win 35 seats or more.&nbsp;

The elections were fought by 337 candidates which include 19 women.

The voter turnout in the election this year was recorded to be 74.61 per cent, which is the highest ever turn out for assembly election in Himachal.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The results announced on Monday morning showed favourable results for BJP. The BJP is leading in over 40 seats, while Congress fluctuating in twenty plus seats

The state of Himachal Pradesh is all set to welcome the new BJP government. The results announced on Monday morning showed favourable results for BJP. The BJP is leading in over 40 seats, while Congress fluctuating in twenty plus seats. Haryana Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh who contested from Arki assembly seat is leading. The BJP chief ministerial candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal has also regained the lead after trailing by over 1700 votes. The Election Commission has said that the vote share of BJP in the elections is 48.6 per cent, which is 10 per cent more than the assembly elections held in 2012. The vote share of Congress came out as 41.8 per cent votes, reducing to 1 per cent from the 2012 elections. There was a close battle between the BJP and the Congress in the assembly election held in the state in 2012. The Congress won 36 seats while the BJP bagged 26 seats. Since the past 24 years, Himachal Pradesh has had alternative governments between the BJP and the Congress. The state underwent single phase polling on November 9. The total number of seats in the state is 68. For winning the elections a party needs to win 35 seats or more. The elections were fought by 337 candidates which include 19 women. The voter turnout in the election this year was recorded to be 74.61 per cent, which is the highest ever turn out for assembly election in Himachal.

BJP set to form government in Himachal