Congress routs BJP in Himachal elections

NEW DELHI: The Congress party''s decisive victory in Himachal was the most striking outcome of the state assembly polls to four small, largely mountain, states last week.
The party scored an important victory in Meghalaya as well, but appeared to be on a losing wicket in Nagaland. While the anti-incumbency mood seems to be the dominant factor in these elections, the ruling Left Front bucked the trend and steam-rollered the opposition led by the Congress in Tripura.
The victory in Himachal provides the Congress valuable breathing space and an important psychological boost as it gears up for the semi-finals - the elections in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan later this year - and the finals, the general election sometime thereafter.
Former state chief minister Virbhadra Singh was a victor in more ways than one. He won his own seat at Rohru convincingly and at the same time, had the satisfaction of seeing his main rival, Vidya Stokes, defeated in Kumarsain. Stokes was defeated by a Congress rebel and the presence of such rebels in both camps was a major factor in polls.
BJP leaders blamed them for their poor showing but a closer look at the result shows that it was the Congress rebels who fared better, winning some four of the 18 seats they contested.
Though Sukh Ram retained his Mandi seat, his Himachal Vikas Party fared poorly and vindicated Virbhadra''s anti-Sukh Ram stance. For the record, the BJP did not stress Hindutva in the campaign, choosing to push ''vikas'' or development agenda. But the Congress was able to capitalise the anti-corruption and anti-incumbency mood in the state.
The victories in the small hill states may cheer the Congress somewhat, but they ought to be worried about the defeat of their candidate at the Gauriganj bypoll in UP at the hands of the BSP candidate.
The massive victory of the ruling PDP in the Pampore by-election confirms the fact that the National Conference remains in the doghouse in the Valley and that Mufti Mohammed Sayeed has been able to consolidate his position there.
The Meghalaya outcome indicates that Purno Sangma has not been able to emerge as the undisputed leader of the entire state.
In Nagaland, the Naga People''s Front along with components of the NDA like the BJP, Samata and JDU could form the next government. The NPF is said to be close to the NSCN (I-M) and has gained from the fact that the dialog it has entered into with the Centre appears to be working.