With Congress victory in three states, political pundits speculate

JAIPUR/BHOPAL/RAIPUR: On Wednesday the Congress was poised to form governments in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, which have signaled a fresh piece of energy within the party ranks and energizing efforts being made by the opposition to put a hold to the BJP campaign before the general elections which are gonna be held in 2019.

The party president Rahul Gandhi has become the cynosure, as he has to take the decision regarding the chief ministers of the three states, which he will be deciding after the victorious MLAs finish their meetings in the three states.

Sonia Gandhi the former president of the Congress had described that the good intentions of the party in the Hindi heartland states has helped them attain victory over the BJP's "negative politics". It was a "Congress victory over the BJP's negative politics," she said.

In the state of Rajasthan, the contenders for the post of chief minister are the president of the Pradesh Congress Committee Sachin Pilot and the former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, both of whom won huge victories in their constituencies. "We have full majority and will stake claim to form government in the evening. We will take along all non-BJP parties and elected members who are against BJP and are willing to support us," Pilot told reporters at the Pradesh Congress Committee.

On Wednesday the Congress emerged as the single-largest party in Rajasthan by winning 99 seats. The BJP got 73 seats, and the Bahujan Samaj Party won 6 seats. The CPM got two seats, Independents won 13 and other parties got 6, as per the state Election Commission.

In Chhattisgarh, the contenders for the CM post are Lok Sabha member Tamradhwaj Sahu, who had successfully contested in the assembly election from Durg Rural seat. The Congress achieved victory in Chhattisgarh by putting an end to the 15-year rule of the Raman Singh-led Bharatiya Janata Party government. It won 68 seats in the 90-member assembly, while the BJP got only 15 seats.

"The Congress Legislature Party meeting will be held at 8pm. All India Congress Committee's observer Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC incharge for the state P L Punia and other senior leaders will be present there," state party unit's general secretary Shailesh Nitin Trivedi told a source. 

On Tuesday, after battling simultaneously the Congress rose to victory as the single largest party in the state of Madhya Pradesh with 114 seats, two short of a simple majority. The BJP, which had ruled the state for a period of 15 years, got a total of 109 seats.

The NCP chief Sharad Pawar told the reporters that, "People have expressed disappointment against the Modi government ... the assembly poll results mark the beginning of a change... people rejected the anti-farmers, anti-traders policies of Modi.”

"The results clearly show that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and (BJP president) Amit Shah's dream of making the country Congress-mukt has gone to the dust in BJP's own regime. People of these states have indicated at a 'BJP-mukt' regime," the Marathi publication said.