Double blow for Congress

NEW DELHI: A resurgent BJP and a demoralised Congress will be the ideal political screen saver for the day. While the BJP helped the Akali Dal wrest back Punjab, it was close to grabbing Uttarakhand from the Congress with the help of the UKD.

Manipur offered some consolation for the Congress, but it will have to share power with the NCP and the RJD there. First the big picture. The BJP, which managed a strike rate of 83% — it won 19 of the 23 seats it contested — will provide the numbers for Parkash Singh Badal’s bid to lead Punjab for the fourth time.

In Uttarakhand, the BJP fell short by one seat, but the three-member UKD is all set to extend support. BC Khanduri is the front-runner for the CM’s post. The outcome of the elections virtually erased the impression that the BJP was a party under siege.

With price rise hurting the Congress, the quota policy antagonising the upper caste voter and the saffron core voter coming out to back the party again, the BJP is sure to flex its muscles in forthcoming electoral combats.

The poll outcome has put the Manmohan Singh government in a fix, with the party’s defeated state leaderships, senior party leaders and Union ministers putting the blame on the government’s failure to check spiralling prices. Although it is part of an attempt to insulate Sonia Gandhi from questions regarding her capacity to deliver victories, the government is sure to find the going tough.

The signs of the government coming under increased pressure to rework the governance matrix was evident when allies like the Left said the results amplified the need for a course correction. In other words, the government’s current priorities lack vote-catching ability, and what’s required is a ‘pro-people’ thrust.

The Congress, which identified inflation as the biggest drag, virtually gave the Opposition a stick to beat it with in the coming polls. The BJP grabbed the opportunity and said it will build the campaign around the Centre’s inability to tackle the back-breaking price rise.

The poll outcome has several worrying messages for the Congress. The urban voters’ preference for the BJP showed the growth story being trumpeted by the government is not enough to sway the voter. The rural voter is yet to buy the pro-aam aadmi pretensions as their immediate need is an insurance against inflation.

Cobbling together a larger social coalition that can help the Congress in Uttar Pradesh cross the electoral threshold looks doubtful from the results in Uttarakhand.

While the upper castes appear to be firmly with the BJP, Mayawati’s firm grip over her constituency is visible. With the Congress yet to win the support of any major social grouping in UP, where caste decides the outcome, the task is really uphill for Ms Gandhi.