Politics News: King Cong

New Delhi

May 16: Led by Mrs Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance stormed its way back to power on Saturday, securing close to an absolute majority in the 543-member Lok Sabha, sure it could make up the marginal difference with the help of Independents and some small parties. Congress managers appeared confident Saturday evening that running the government would get easier as it need not depend any longer on the support of outside allies, particularly of the Left.

The 15th general election threw up a far more decisive mandate than five years ago, with the UPA poised to secure 260 Lok Sabha seats. Of this, the Congress Party itself was set to get 201 seats.

The UPA’s triumph is expected to bring the curtain down on the six-decade-long political career of BJP stalwart Lal Krishna Advani, who indicated Saturday he did not want to continue as Leader of the Opposition. The NDA, under his leadership, was likely to end up with only 164 seats, of which the BJP was set to get 120.

The Left parties were the other big losers of the day — they had 59 MPs in the outgoing House but were projected to end up with only 24 seats in the new Lok Sabha. Its allies in the Third Front, including the Telugu Desam, BJD, BSP and JD(S), were set to get another 53 seats.

The so-called Fourth Front — comprising the Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Lok Janshakti Party — ended up with only 30 seats.

The Left’s major reverses also saw Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamul Congress back as a major force in the politics of West Bengal, where the CPI(M)-led front suffered its biggest Lok Sabha setback in the 32 long years that it has dominated the state. Ms Banerjee and the Congress, fighting the Left as part of a grand alliance, bagged 26 of the state’s 42 Lok Sabha seats.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, now all set to begin a second five-year term, has established a record of sorts: for the first time since the days of Indira Gandhi over three decades ago a PM who has completed a full term in office has been re-elected for a fresh innings.

The UPA is set to stake claim in a couple of days, with the 15th Lok Sabha required to be in place by June 2. Dr Singh will also be putting in place a new Cabinet, which might witness some changes from the outgoing team. Triumphant Mamata Banerjee is likely to return to the railway ministry, which she earlier headed in the NDA government of Atal Behari Vajpayee. RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav is expected to be retained in the government, but with a different portfolio.

While regional outfits such as Mayawati’s BSP, Mulayam Singh Yadav’s SP, Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK and newcomer Chiranjeevi’s Praja Rajyam fared poorly, two regional leaders who did extremely well were chief ministers Nitish Kumar (JD-U) in Bihar and Naveen Patnaik (BJD) in Orissa, with the latter also sweeping the simultaneous Assembly elections in the state, winning a record third term. Earlier this year Mr Patnaik had walked out of the NDA and later joined the Third Front.

The results in Andhra Pradesh were stunning. The Congress, contrary to all predictions, won 33 of the state’s 42 Lok Sabha seats, and its state government headed by Y.S. Rajashekhar Reddy beat the incumbency factor to secure a clear majority in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly polls.

The Congress’ equally remarkable revival in Uttar Pradesh, where it raised its Lok Sabha tally from nine to 21 seats after being marginalised in the state for decades, is being credited to the "go-it-alone" strategy of AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi. Dr Manmohan Singh, talking to reporters at the party headquarters here on Saturday afternoon, with Mrs Gandhi by his side, said he would "try to persuade Rahul Gandhi to join the government."

[Mr Gandhi, however, sidestepped a question on this while talking to reporters at Sultanpur, UP, Saturday evening, pointing out that much more work needed to be done to gear up the Congress organisation. With his sister Priyanka by his side, he also said the credit for the victory could not go to any individual. "I believe that an individual can never accomplish anything on his own. It has to be a team effort." Mr Gandhi added he would try to ensure greater participation of the youth in the Congress.]

Congress insiders feel Ms Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had also played a major role in the victory. "Though Priyanka campaigned only for her brother and mother, she was highly visible in the media. This helped us," a Congress leader said. But while the Congress feels its decision to go it alone in UP helped, Samajwadi leader Amar Singh said the "results could have been even better" had it contested in alliance with the SP.

Speaking in New Delhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh offered an olive branch to all secular outfits and said "the secular parties should forget past disputes and come together to give this country a strong, stable and purposeful government. We will work in a spirit of comradeship."

Dr Singh, often the target of attack by the saffron brigade, also reached out to the BJP. "We should open a new chapter in relations between the government and the principal Opposition party. We seek your cooperation," Dr Singh told Mr L.K. Advani when the latter called to congratulate him on the UPA’s victory.

"We invite all Opposition parties to use this moment to convey to the world that at a time when the world is in serious difficulties, we in India stand as one nation," Dr Singh said, in a message that was also directed at the Left parties.

Source: Asian Age