New Delhi: The outcome of the crucial Assembly polls in four states, being dubbed as the 'semi-final' ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, has shown a clear rejection of the Congress and the rise of a new phenomenon — the Aam Aadmi Party led by former IITian Arvind Kejriwal.
The 3-0 verdict (Delhi being hung) in favour of the BJP has stunned the Congress, which was reduced to a single-digit figure in Delhi and saw the crushing and humiliating defeat of its three-time CM Sheila Dikshit in her own seat of New Delhi.
The Aam Aadmi Party, born out of Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption agitation, created history on Sunday by winning 28 seats in the 70-member Delhi Assem-bly, that saw the BJP emerging as the single largest party.
While the Congress failed to capture Chhattisgarh despite a close contest, it was completely demolished in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
BJP decimates Congress in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh
Here is the final result:
The perception of a “corrupt” Congress-led government at the Centre, which failed to check inflation and rising prices, led to the party’s worst performance in all four states.
While Sunday’s Assembly results do not necessarily indicate a clear win for the BJP in the coming Lok Sabha polls, it rang the alarm bells for the Congress.
If it now fails to carry out an immediate damage control exercise, it could find itself in a tricky situation in these four states, which together send 72 members to the Lok Sabha. The Congress is also struggling in states like UP, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, AP and West Bengal, among others.
Shaken by the defeat, the Congress is not only taking a hard look at the secret of the AAP’s success but also thinking on the lines of declaring its PM candidate prior to the elections.
Read here: Rahul Gandhi promises radical changes in Congress
BJP workers celebrate the party’s thumping victory in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls in Bhopal on Sunday — PTI
