Congress gains the upper hand ahead of LS polls
NDTV NEWS
The results of the assembly elections are out. It’s 3-2 in the favour of the Congress. The Congress has won in Delhi, Rajasthan and Mizoram. And the BJP has retained power in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
The score has startled politicians and political pundits alike. Many had calculated the Mumbai attacks would lead to a Congress loss. The party itself believed that. Particularly in Rajasthan and Delhi, which voted after 26/11. In Rajasthan, the BJP made terror a major issue, hoping that it would counter the anti-incumbency against its Chief Minister.
BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley says: “If you see a larger Lok Sabha picture, there’s still a silver lining.”
The Congress is candid enough to admit that the Mumbai attacks were a worry. So they are pleasantly surprised at their wins.
But does this mean that terrorism was not a factor?
Parties aren’t too sure. BJP president Rajnath Singh feels local issues were more important, voters had already made up their mind.
Congress leader Digvijay Singh says: “Results are better than expected. Had this Mumbai incident not taken place, we would have done much better.”
In the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks, parties across the board were criticised for politicising the tragedy.
Now, as politicians plunge straight into planning for the General Elections, they are unsure of what the Indian voter thinks of terror as an election issue.
The assembly polls were being called a semi-final to the Lok Sabha polls. Parties campaigned hard. But the verdicts, it seems, have given the Congress and the BJP something to celebrate and a lot to introspect.
The results of the assembly elections are out. It’s 3-2 in the favour of the Congress. The Congress has won in Delhi, Rajasthan and Mizoram. And the BJP has retained power in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
The score has startled politicians and political pundits alike. Many had calculated the Mumbai attacks would lead to a Congress loss. The party itself believed that. Particularly in Rajasthan and Delhi, which voted after 26/11. In Rajasthan, the BJP made terror a major issue, hoping that it would counter the anti-incumbency against its Chief Minister.
BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley says: “If you see a larger Lok Sabha picture, there’s still a silver lining.”
The Congress is candid enough to admit that the Mumbai attacks were a worry. So they are pleasantly surprised at their wins.
But does this mean that terrorism was not a factor?
Parties aren’t too sure. BJP president Rajnath Singh feels local issues were more important, voters had already made up their mind.
Congress leader Digvijay Singh says: “Results are better than expected. Had this Mumbai incident not taken place, we would have done much better.”
In the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks, parties across the board were criticised for politicising the tragedy.
Now, as politicians plunge straight into planning for the General Elections, they are unsure of what the Indian voter thinks of terror as an election issue.
The assembly polls were being called a semi-final to the Lok Sabha polls. Parties campaigned hard. But the verdicts, it seems, have given the Congress and the BJP something to celebrate and a lot to introspect.