news details |
|
|
| BJP is back in business | | Leadership failure causes Congress fall in polls | | BL KAK
NEW DELHI, FEB 28
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has taken the Congress party by surprise in Punjab and Uttarakhand. In these two States, the Congress has been deflated by the BJP and its allies during the just-concluded Assembly polls.
And with the BJP back in business, the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre seems much more vulnerable than what it was only a fortnight ago. Anti-Congress verdict in Punjab and Uttarakhand is particularly significant in the context of the upcoming crucial Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh (UP). The BJP's strong showing in Punjab undoubtedly brought relief to its ally, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
The BJP successfully took on the Congress party's main vote-catcher, Sonia Gandhi, in the hill State of Uttarakhand as well. Factional fighting and the presence of a reluctant Chief Minister were a sure recipe for disaster for the Congress party in Uttarakhand. The election results declared on Tuesday proved beyond doubt that the Congress party's central leadership erred by putting pressure on its ageing Chief Minister, Narayan Dutt Tiwari, to continue in office.
The Congress party rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has reached tantalisingly close to forming the next government in the hill State. The BJP may need the support of either the three independents or the regional Uttarakhand Kranti Party (UKP) to cross the majority mark, which party leaders say would not be difficult. This was the second election in Uttarakhand. While the BJP headed the interim government with poor results for 17 months, the rival Congress party swept to power in 2002 polls. However, its choice of Chief Minister in a reluctant Tiwari overlooking the credentials of State unit president Harish Rawat sowed the seeds of its defeat.
Although the Tiwari government's performance was rated as satisfactory--it started industrialisation of the State by attracting investments to the tune of Rs 200 billion over the last five years-- one of the prime reasons for the Congress defeat was its inability to create jobs.
Most of these industries are yet to start recruitment and the government could find jobs for just 45,000 youth in the five years, mainly as school teachers or police constables. The Congress gimmick of renaming the State to Uttarakhand failed to get the desired results. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
