BJP scores big in Rajasthan, MP, Chhattisgarh and Delhi; debutant AAP puts up stellar show.
Folk artists perform at BJP head office after the party's victory in Assembly elections, in New Delhi on Sunday. -PTI
New Delhi: BJP on Sunday handed a 4-0 drubbing to Congress in the assembly polls by scoring landslide victories in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, managing to retain power in Chhattisgarh and close to forming a government in Delhi.
The election results also saw debutant Aam Aadmi Party putting up a stunning performance in Delhi where its chief Arvind Kejriwal emerged the giant killer defeating three-time Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit by a huge margin. While its performance helped in the rout of Congress, it halted BJP's march towards a majority.
Propelled by the aggressive campaign of its Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, BJP wrested power from Congress in Rajasthan by scoring a three-fourth majority and retained power in Madhya Pradesh where it increased its tally to reach two-third majority.
It was a hat-trick for BJP in Madhya Pradesh where Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan led the party to a spectacular tally of 164 seats (157 won and 7 leading) in the 230-member assembly, 21 seats more than last time.
The Congress suffered a huge defeat with its tally coming down to 59 (57 won, two leading) from 71 seats. BSP got four seats.
In Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje spearheaded the saffron surge, ousting the Congress which registered its worst-ever performance. BJP got 162 seats, its highest ever tally, in the 200-member assembly, leaving Congress with only 21. In the outgoing assembly, BJP had 78 and Congress 96 seats.
National People's Party got four, BSP three and National Unionist Zamindara Party two. Independents won seven.
Of the four states, national capital Delhi returned a hung verdict in which BJP emerged the single largest party with 31 seats in the 70-member house. Its pre-poll ally Akali Dal won one seat, giving it a boost in the stakes for power.
The fledgling Aam Aadmi Party, formed just a little over a year ago, put up an impressive show, bagging 27 seats and was leading in one.
The ruling Congress, which was seeking a fourth consecutive term, was decimated with its tally reduced from 43 in the outgoing house to eight. A number of heavyweights of Congress and BJP, including four of six ministers, were humbled at the hustings. Dikshit resigned immediately.
It was a thriller in Chhattisgarh which saw a day-long see-saw battle. Finally, BJP was set to cross the majority mark of 45 in the 90-member assembly. It has already got 45 seats and was leading in four. Like Modi in Gujarat, Chief Minister Raman Singh has scored a hat-trick.
Unlike in the other three states, the Congress put up a stiff battle, helped as it was by a sympathy wave in Bastar region where the maoists had eliminated the top leadership in a dastardly attack earlier this year. The Congress got 40 seats. The BJP had won 50 seats last time and Congress 38.
( Source : PTI )
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