The NDA victory in Punjab and Uttarakhand has added to the worries of the Congress government in the State, coming on top of the defeat in local elections in Rajahmundry and poor showing in Visakhapatnam.
Local Congress leaders have agreed that the local elections showed a strong indication of the anti-incumbency mood among voters. The skyrocketing prices also cost the party dearly. Jubilant over the Congress drubbing in the north, the Telugu Desam was confused over whether or not to consider it as a resurgence of its former ally Bharatiya Janata Party.
“The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister is banking on Jayalayagnam, indiramma houses and development programmes which he wanted to take to the 2009 polls. What is worrying is that the development plank was of no help to the Congress in the North,” a close adviser of the Chief Minister told this correspondent.
in fact, the Congress had felt the heat in the Zilla Parishad elections itself last year. After being routed in the Assembly elections, the regained TD lost ground in several districts and even won two zilla parishads and narrowly missed out in five other districts.
“The government is failing in countering the Opposition onslaught on corruption, inefficiency and non-delivery of promises made under Jalayagnam or other schemes,” a senior Congress Minister admitted.
Though the TD is elated over the NDA victory, it was not ready to give credit to the BJP, with which it severed ties immediately after the 2004 drubbing. “it is nothing but anti-incumbency. What is the new policy or stand taken by the BJP that will help the party revive its image? Punjab and Uttaranchal will repeat here also,” party senior member T. Devender Goud said.
The TD leadership has succeeded in weaning away the CPM from the Congress axis in the State. The TD and the CPM not only contested elections jointly but held joint agitations against the government.
A section of TD leaders were confident that CPi, the other Left partner of the Congress, would drift towards the TD-CPi(M) joining as elections approach and any change in the party stand vis a vis the BJP at this juncture would prove counter-productive. “it will project us as being opportunistic,” a former minister said.
However, the TD may be forced to chose between the Left and the BJP for the next elections particularly in view of the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly. According to a senior TD leader from coastal districts, the electorate would look at the BJP at national level as alternative to the Congress and not the Left. in that case the gains for the TD would be more if it ties up with the BJP.
Posted By Staff Reporter
in Punjab News
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