Heartland Fuels Congress Comeback
Bhopal: Congress – the grand old party of Indian politics – fuelled by some synchronized and indefatigable campaigning is on the remake across north India, especially in the strategically significant states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
In UP – the Congress, set to emerge the second largest party in the state has already won 10 segments and has leads on another 11 seats, an upswing of 12 compared to the 9 it managed in 2004.
The Samajwadi Party has won eight seats and has leads in another 13 segments to take its tally to 21, the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), that was hoping for victory in 40 to 50 segments, has leads/victory in 22 seats while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was trailing behind with leadswins in only 11 segments.
In neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, the Congress sprang it’s strongest surprise by bouncing back after a recent drubbing in the elections to the state assembly November last to register victory in nine segements and leads in another two of the state’s 29 Lok Sabha segments, a clear gain of seven odd segments.
The BJP, lost substantial turf in the state to notch losses in as many as 10 segments in the state, to register wins/leads in 17 segments.
The party also regained lost turf in Rajasthan and Punjab thus pulling off its most incredible electoral victory in nearly two decades and that too in BJP’s own backyard.
Though, the Congress has routed competition across the country, the mandate in heartland states is the most overwhelming and the cornerstone of the stage being set for the Congress-led alliance to catapult Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to his second term on 7-RCR.
