Published On:Sunday, December 8, 2013
Posted by devil
Election results: BJP wins MP, Rajasthan, AAP magic in Delhi, suspense in Chhattisgarh
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In elections seen as a "semifinal" before the 2014 Lok Sabha battle, the BJP retained Madhya Pradesh and ousted the Congress in Rajasthan. The Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) stunning show in Delhi pushed the Congress to a humiliating third spot, with the BJP looking set to take power despite lacking a clear majority.
The Congress and the BJP were in a cliffhanger neck and neck race in Chhattisgarh.
A humbled Congress, which had pitted its vice president Rahul Gandhi against the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in the hectic election campaign, said it would "introspect" why it lost Rajasthan, was crushed in Delhi and why it couldn't dislodge the BJP in Madhya Pradesh.
"Our congratulations to those who have won in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan," said a despondent Congress leader Jayanthi Natarajan. "In Delhi, we accept the verdict and will examine the results. We will find out what has gone wrong."
"Our work is cut out for us and we have to face realities," said Congress minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who was projected as a possible chief minister candidate for Madhya Pradesh which the party lost badly.
The BJP said the verdict dominantly reflected "mass anger" against the Congress, which has ruled India since 2004 at the head of a multi-party United Progressive Alliance alliance.
"This is an anti-Congress vote. There is an impact of Modi also," said spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman, referring to the party's prime ministerial candidate who campaigned in all four states with gusto.
BJP activists erupted into celebrations all across Madhya Pradesh, which the party has ruled since 2003, and Rajasthan, where the Congress suffered a disastrous defeat.
But the Congress put up a spirited show in Chhattisgarh where it appeared at one stage to be edging past the Raman Singh-led BJP after being in the opposition for a decade.
Chhattisgarh state general secretary Ramesh Varlyhani told IANS that the Congress "expected to form a government" in the state. But officials said the BJP had again taken a narrow lead over the Congress in the afternoon.
The Congress was decimated in Rajasthan, and could be left with only 31 seats in the 200-member house. Officials counting votes in the state said the BJP could win as many as 142 seats.
In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP was on the road to winning from 149 of the 230 constituencies.
The most stunning verdict came from Delhi where Sheila Dikshit, chief minister for 15 long years, resigned after leading the party to a rout, and she herself was set to lose humiliatingly to AAP founder leader Arvind Kejriwal in New Delhi constituency, which she considered her pocket borough.
The BJP was tantalizingly close to power with the prospect of winning 32 of the 70 seats. The AAP, born out of the anti-corruption movement of Anna Hazare, was tipped to bag 27 seats, just one year after it was formed, a performance that even its political foes admitted was spectacular.
"We always thought of AAP as competition and we were expecting it to get double digit seats but this is surprising," Delhi BJP president Vijay Goel said.
The Congress claimed the verdict was no reflection on its national leadership.
"We must remember that these five states account for only 73 Lok Sabha seats (out of a total of 543)," said party leader Randeep Singh Surjewala, also including Mizoram where the vote count will take place Monday.
Abhishek Singhvi of the Congress added that Modi's vote-catching ability had not worked, going by the BJP's struggle to retain Chhattisgarh and its failure to notch a clear win in Delhi.
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Unconditional Support ?
To form a government in Delhi , both BJP and Congress have offered AAP , an Unconditional Support
Arvind Kejriwal is asking ,
" For how long ? 3 weeks or 3 months ? "
He cannot forget what those parties did to destroy the " India Against Corruption " movement in the Ramlila grounds in 2011
So he has asked Sonia Gandhi and Rajnath Singh ,
" Forget about ' giving ' un-asked for unconditional support
But since you have been so magnanimous , here are my 18 conditions for
' taking ' your support
Do you accept these conditions ? "
Sonia and Rajnath are silent !
They don't like being exposed !
A Congress spokesman even said on TV channel last evening ,
" Most of what AAP proposes , require mere administrative decisions .
Our support does not come in picture "
A BJP stalwart said,
" How can there be any government without a strong opposition ?
Of course , we will oppose you whenever we disagree with you .
How can we tell you now , which of your 18 conditions , we will
oppose - and when ?
When time comes , we will get a signal from our high command "
As Arvind knows too well , both BJP and Congress will simply wait for the very first opportunity to pull the rug from under the feet of AAP
Irrespective of who introduces a " No - Confidence " motion in Delhi Assembly , each will give the other , an " Unconditional Support " !
It is a pity , no TV anchor is asking them :
Madam / Sir ,
Does your unconditional support mean , you will decide ,
> Who will introduce a no-confidence motion and when ?
> Who will ask the LG , to recommend President's Rule and when ?
> Who will take the credit to discredit AAP , and when ?
> Who will brag to Delhi-ites, " We had told you AAP cannot perform " ?
But people of Delhi are asking following questions ( no doubt inconvenient to BJP / Congress ) ,
> If unconditional support only means , mere postponement of the re-
poll , why not get over with it , right now ?
> What is game-plan of Congress / BJP ?
> How can we put an end to this absurdity called " Support " ?
> Isn't it time to give 50 seats to AAP in re-poll ?
* hemen parekh ( 15 Dec 2013 / Mumbai )