Congress prefers Punjab and Uttarakhand polls ahead of UP elections

NEW DELHI: Congress would like to see assembly elections in Punjab and Uttarakhand, where the party is perceived to be ahead of its rivals, conducted ahead of Uttar Pradesh elections.

Even though the Election Commission is yet to schedule the next round of state assembly elections, Congress would like elections to Punjab and Uttarakhand 'delinked' from Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, though the term of all three assemblies end by the first half of next year.

According to a senior Congress leader, the party is set to gain from the anti-incumbency haunting the Akali Dal-BJP alliance in Punjab and the Uttarakhand government of BJP. Congress would like to approach the assembly polls in UP riding on the momentum of two probable victories in Punjab and Uttarakhand.

Though Congress is struggling to get its act together in UP, political observers note that it has surged ahead of opponents in Punjab and Uttarakhand. There is popular disaffection against the SAD-BJP government in Punjab, with allegations of rampant corruption and misgovernance hurled at the ruling combine.

In Uttarakhand, BJP's central leadership's move to stem the slide by replacing Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank with BC Khanduri may have come a bit too late. Even though Khanduri has made a concerted attempt to reverse BJP's prospects by taking a slew of measures aimed at ending corruption, the odds are stacked against him. In the 2007 assembly polls, BJP came close to the halfway mark, winning 34 seats in a House of 70, pushing Congress to second spot with 21 seats.

BSP stunned political observers by winning eight seats in Uttarakhand, all in the plains. It secured 11.76% of the total votes polled too. Political observers maintain BSP is set to improve its tally in the state assembly. It is strong in as many as 20 seats in Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar.

BJP took its tally to 36 by wresting two seats in by-elections held subsequently. It also joined hands with the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, which had won three seats. UKD later severed its ties with BJP, but two of its legislators defied their party diktat to continue as ministers in the state government.

Congress is said to be sitting pretty in Punjab, where the Parkash Singh Badal government is said to be battling popular anger over issues such as corruption and an apathetic administration. However in UP, despite Rahul Gandhi's persistent efforts to lift Congress' fortunes, the party is still seen to be battling it out with BJP to gain the third spot. The main fight is between BSP and the Samajwadi Party.