Hand crushes Lotus, Congress emerges triumphant in mini-2019 polls

New Delhi, Dec 11: It’s after a long time that Congress workers across the Hindi heartland have had reason to celebrate. The clear victory in two states has given the much-required positivity in the Congress wings even as it struggled to wrestle victory from the BJP in Madhya Pradesh, with the third also likely to be in their kitty with a little help from independents and the Bahujan Samaj Party.

A landslide victory in Chhattisgarh resulted in a stunner for the Congress giving it whopping majority against the BJP. With Congress at 67 and BJP at 16 the win has sent a shiver down the BJP’s spine with a miserable run against the Congress. In Rajasthan the Young Turk Sachin Pilot has given a befitting poll retort to the reigning queen Vasundhara Raje. and Madhya Pradesh and has claimed he is touch with non-BJP  Independents to give them a collective clear majority over the BJP.

Madhya Pradesh where the fight was neck and neck throughout the day has given psephologists a dream day. The result of the hustings may end up giving the role of King Maker to the Bahujan Samaj Party with Congress and BJP running almost neck and neck with 114 seats and 104 seats respectively. With the BSP scoring 2 the statement from BSP supremo Mayawati that there was no question of siding with the Bharatiya Janta Party, it is quite likely that the Congress will score a victory here as well with the support of the BSP and the other independents.

Of the other states, a clear win for the TRS in Telangana and the Mizo national Front in Mizoram securing a clear majority. In both states the Congress has done reasonably well securing over 20 seats in Mizoram and over 60 in Telangana compared to BJP’s dismal figure limited to 1 in both state (leads).

While Rajasthan voters are blaming the bad governance of Vasundhara Raje  where people had given the slogan “Modi tumse bair nahi, Vasundhara teri khair nahi” (Modi we have no ill will with you but Vasundhara (Raje) has to be ousted) in Chhattisgarh, the BJP seemd to have just failed to feel the pulse of the voter. Despite the so-called firm footing of Shivraj Singh Chauhan in Madhya Pradesh, the results are an eye-opener for the BJP with the Congress giving them a more-than stiff fight.

A number of psephologists are pointing fingers at farmers’ ire and backlash again demonetization and GST that have resulted in the BJP’s predicament in what was called the mini-2019—run up to General Elections 2019 in India. The results have surely come as a shocker for the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party which will surely have to rethink its Hindutva strategy and manifesto for the 2019 polls if it wants to retain itself in power in 2019.

It remains to be seen how the Congress victory will be translated under the emergent Mahagathbandhan –the rallying together of  Opposition parties against the BJP for the Elections 2019. It is for sure though that chances of Rahul Gandhi being seen as the face of the alliance are now stronger than ever after this thumping victory.