Congress gets the Jolt, BJP the Boost

The anti-incumbency factor and the rising prices marred the Congress prospects in the Assembly elections in Punjab and Uttarakhand. The party suffered setbacks in both the states with Akali-BJP combine returning to power in Punjab and BJP snatching Uttarakhand from Congress. The Akali-BJP combine won 67 seats out of 116 in Punjab, while the Congress managed to win 44 seats.

Uttarakhand produced no surprise, as BJP got back into power by winning 34 seats out of 69. Congress managed to get only 21 seats. According to sources, former union minister B C Khanduri may get the nod to become the next chief minister of Uttarakhand while Prakash Singh Badal will be again the chief minister of Punjab. The Congress Party managed to save its face by retaining Manipur, though by a narrow margin. The recent assembly elections served a wake up call to the party and its leadership.