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Semi-final polls leave all
guessing, performers are stars
WSN Network
 NEW DELHI: As
India races towards Parliamentary elections, possible eiter early
next year or by April-May, the results of the semi-finals have
proved that speculation will continue even as the electorate sent a
message that it prefers strong, accessible leaders, and performers.
Hindu radical
saffron RSS-BJP's bid to whip-up an emotional campaign around the
issues of terrorism, inflation, and a deepening agriculture crisis
as a prelude to the Lok Sabha elections worked, at best, only
partially.
In
Delhi,
Shiela Dikshit created a record by winning her hat-trick election,
while Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Raman Singh anchored BJP victories
in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh respectively. Ashok Gehlot did it
for the Congress in Rajasthan. Mizoram too went the Congress way.
Inversely, weak,
confusing or arrogant leadership brought failure for both the
parties. In Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje’s style of functioning became
a liability for the BJP, while in Madhya Pradesh Suresh Pachauri’s
style harmed the Congress. In the tiny remote state of Mizoram,
Lalthanhawla, given a free hand by the high command, delivered a
victory for the Congress after 10 years.
 The election
results came as a relief for Congress which is reeling under a
barrage of criticism over recurring terrorist attacks, inflation and
a crisis in agriculture in the runup to the general elections.
Delhi,
Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh elect 72 of 542 members of the Lok
Sabha, while Mizoram elects one. The BJP has 57 and the Congress 15
MPs in the current Lok Sabha from these states.
DELHI: No one
can say whether Sheila’s victory was about governance or the 17
flyovers, 65 kilometres of the Metro in the last 10 years? Or the
regularisation of unauthorised colonies? Or the weak and fractious
rival party, the Bharatiya Janata Party?
MADHYA PRADESH:
The terror-spouting party changed tacks and stuck to the development
plank here. Saffron agenda went on the backburner, the party changed
more than one-third of its sitting MLAs, and that did the trick.
RAJASTHAN:
Clearly, Vasundhara Raje’s “personalised style of functioning” hurt
the people. Ashok Gehlot is set to be the new CM.
CHHATTISGARH:
Congress tripped on itself. A divided house brought down the party
and the BJP even retained the Naxal-dominated tribal areas like
Bastar and Ambikapur. Statistically, it won only two per cent more
votes than the Congress.
MIZORAM: Clearly
a sweep. Congress bagged 32 seats, and reinforced its hold in the
Northeast, with four states in the region now under its belt. The Mizo National Front won only three seats. Since its statehood in
1986, Mizoram has always denied two-thirds majority in the 40-member
assembly to any single party.
10 December
2008
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