Its Advantage Cong

A clear majority eluding both the Congress and the BJP in Uttarakhand,the race for power began between the two principal players

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Its Advantage Cong

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A clear majority eluding both the Congress and the BJP in Uttarakhand,the race for power began between the two principal players late on Tuesday evening. The odds,however,favoured the Congress. First,it had secured 32 seats,one more than the BJP in the 70-member Assembly,and therefore,emerged as the single largest party. Second,the state Governor,who could play a crucial role in case of a hung Assembly,happened to be a former Congress general secretary,Margaret Alva.

Of the remaining seven seats,three have been bagged by the BSP,three by Independents two of them Congress rebels and one by the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal.

The Congress,being the single largest party,was quick to proclaim its right to form a new government.

Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Harish Rawat was a front-runner for the top job. His detractors were trying to sabotage his prospects by alleging that he had undermined the prospects of official nominees by patronising several rebels,which had in the process cost the party a majority.

The others in the race were former ministers Indira Hridayesh and Harak Singh Rawat,Leader of Opposition in the outgoing Assembly,state Congress president Yashpal Arya and two members of the Lok Sabha,Vijay Bahuguna and Satpal Maharaj.

One factor,which was bound to weigh strongly with the high command,was the new leaders ability to mobilise additional support,required to get past the majority-mark of 35,by winning over Independents and people belonging to other parties.

For the BJP,the most disappointing factor was not the one-seat edge for its rival,but the defeat of its outgoing chief minister and poll mascot B C Khanduri from Kotdwar. The saffron party had banked on the outgoing CMs hectic campaigning with the catchline Khanduri hai zaroori theres no alternative to Khanduri. The party had sought to clean up its image after the former Army officer replaced Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank following allegations of corruption against the state government.

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Earlier in the day,as trends swung both ways,the BJP moved cautiously. It looks like we will be the largest party in the Assembly,we will definitely form the government, said former CM Pokhriyal. Seen as a rival of Khanduri within the party,Pokhriyal won from Doiwala.