Assembly polls to test Congress
In Maharashtra, contest could go down to the wire.
By ET Bureau |
NEW DELHI: In the first big test for Congress after the Lok Sabha elections, the party is fighting to retain power in Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh, which go to the polls on Tuesday.
In Maharashtra, a crucial battleground for the Congress-NCP combine which had been in power for the last 10 years, the contest could go down to the wire. A mix of factors, including the rise of Raj Thackeray���s MNS and a large number of ruling-combine rebels in the fray, have set the stage for a photo finish.
In Haryana, where the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government ran a high-decibel campaign, playing on the ���No. 1 Haryana��� theme, it could be advantage Congress. The rival camp is deeply divided, with the principal opposition party, INLD, led by Om Prakash Chautala, having failed to win a single seat in the Lok Sabha polls. Its alliance with BJP for the 90 constituencies in the state has come undone, making the Saffron party another contender for the Opposition votes. Former Congress leader Bhajan Lal���s Haryana Janhit Congress and BSP are the other players. However, the cautious in Congress are not willing to write off the anti-Jat sentiment.
Congress has reinvented itself as a Jat party in the state under Mr Hooda, a change from its earlier avatar under Mr Bhajan Lal, a Bishnoi, who was a magnet for all anti-Jat groups.
In Arunachal Pradesh, which has 60 constituencies, Congress could score with chief minister Khandu Dorjee among the three party candidates elected unopposed. The party is contesting all seats while UPA allies ��� NCP and Trinamool Congress ��� have put up 36 and 26 candidates respectively. Counting for all three states will be held on 22 October.
In Maharashtra, stakes are high for the Congress-NCP alliance, which is seeking a third consecutive term. MNS��� presence had helped Congress-NCP combine in the Lok Sabha polls, allowing it to wrest a majority of the seats in Mumbai and Thane. With the two regions making up 60 of 288 seats in the state, the impact of MNS will be a key factor in the outcome.
However, the Sena-BJP���s internal assessment puts it ahead of the rival combine. The group believes that its advantage lies in running a better, more co-ordinated campaign in comparison with the Congress-NCP, which have had a rocky relationship history. The Saffron parties also believe that the MNS factor, which saw the Marathi vote being split in the general elections, could be neutralised by a large number of Congress-NCP rebels. There are 1,820 independents contesting the elections, many of them rebels.
With the highest number of rebels belonging to the ruling camp, the Sena-BJP believes that a repeat of the 1995 election is not ruled out when 45 independents won. The 1995 hung assembly verdict could be sorted out only with the help of independents who backed the Shiv Sena. Of all the rebel contests, the most closely watched will be the Amravati election where President Pratibha Patil���s son, Rajendra Shekhawat of Congress, is pitted against former minister Sunil Deshmukh.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made for Maharashtra, with special focus on Naxal-hit areas, as well as for the other two states to ensure peaceful polling. The over four-week-long electioneering saw top leaders of Congress, BJP and other major players of regional parties hitting the campaign trail in a big way. Maharashtra has over 7.58 crore eligible voters while Haryana has 1.31 crore electors and Arunachal Pradesh has 7.50 lakh voters.
In Maharashtra, a crucial battleground for the Congress-NCP combine which had been in power for the last 10 years, the contest could go down to the wire. A mix of factors, including the rise of Raj Thackeray���s MNS and a large number of ruling-combine rebels in the fray, have set the stage for a photo finish.
In Haryana, where the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government ran a high-decibel campaign, playing on the ���No. 1 Haryana��� theme, it could be advantage Congress. The rival camp is deeply divided, with the principal opposition party, INLD, led by Om Prakash Chautala, having failed to win a single seat in the Lok Sabha polls. Its alliance with BJP for the 90 constituencies in the state has come undone, making the Saffron party another contender for the Opposition votes. Former Congress leader Bhajan Lal���s Haryana Janhit Congress and BSP are the other players. However, the cautious in Congress are not willing to write off the anti-Jat sentiment.
Congress has reinvented itself as a Jat party in the state under Mr Hooda, a change from its earlier avatar under Mr Bhajan Lal, a Bishnoi, who was a magnet for all anti-Jat groups.
In Arunachal Pradesh, which has 60 constituencies, Congress could score with chief minister Khandu Dorjee among the three party candidates elected unopposed. The party is contesting all seats while UPA allies ��� NCP and Trinamool Congress ��� have put up 36 and 26 candidates respectively. Counting for all three states will be held on 22 October.
In Maharashtra, stakes are high for the Congress-NCP alliance, which is seeking a third consecutive term. MNS��� presence had helped Congress-NCP combine in the Lok Sabha polls, allowing it to wrest a majority of the seats in Mumbai and Thane. With the two regions making up 60 of 288 seats in the state, the impact of MNS will be a key factor in the outcome.
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However, the Sena-BJP���s internal assessment puts it ahead of the rival combine. The group believes that its advantage lies in running a better, more co-ordinated campaign in comparison with the Congress-NCP, which have had a rocky relationship history. The Saffron parties also believe that the MNS factor, which saw the Marathi vote being split in the general elections, could be neutralised by a large number of Congress-NCP rebels. There are 1,820 independents contesting the elections, many of them rebels.
With the highest number of rebels belonging to the ruling camp, the Sena-BJP believes that a repeat of the 1995 election is not ruled out when 45 independents won. The 1995 hung assembly verdict could be sorted out only with the help of independents who backed the Shiv Sena. Of all the rebel contests, the most closely watched will be the Amravati election where President Pratibha Patil���s son, Rajendra Shekhawat of Congress, is pitted against former minister Sunil Deshmukh.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made for Maharashtra, with special focus on Naxal-hit areas, as well as for the other two states to ensure peaceful polling. The over four-week-long electioneering saw top leaders of Congress, BJP and other major players of regional parties hitting the campaign trail in a big way. Maharashtra has over 7.58 crore eligible voters while Haryana has 1.31 crore electors and Arunachal Pradesh has 7.50 lakh voters.
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