Mamata captures WB, Jaya bags TN, Kerala UDF wins
Mangalore Today News Network
Kolkota, May 13: The Trinamool Congress was on Friday headed for a historic win in West Bengal, bringing down the curtain on the 34-year uninterrupted rule of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) led Left Front.
The Left Front - the longest serving Communist-led government in a democratic set-up - was headed for a rout with most of its ministers, including chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, trailing behind their opponents.
As the state was poised to get its first woman chief minister in Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee after about 64 years after independence, the defeat of the Left Front spanned almost the entire geographical map of West Bengal.
Its candidates were losing even in erstwhile red citadels like Burdwan, Bankura and Purulia districts and in seats where the coalition had never been defeated since coming to power in 1977.
In trends for 266 seats in the 294-member assembly, the Trinamool-led alliance was ahead in over 200 seats.
The Left front was ahead in only 71 seats, with CPM leading in 49, Communist Party of India in four, Forward Bloc (12) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (6).
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was ahead in two seats, others in seven and an independent in one.
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was trailing in Jadavpore - a constituency in South 24 Parganas on the outskirts of Kolkata where he won the last five elections from 1987.
His rival, tipped to get the prized seat, was Trinamool nominee and former bureaucrat Manish Gupta, who had served a short stint as chief secretary during the early period of Bhattacharjee’s chief ministerial tenure.
Nine other ministers, including Nirupam Sen (industries) and Asim Dadgupta (finance) were trailing. Only Land and Revenue Minister Abdur Rezzak Mollah was leading.
Among the Trinamool heavyweights, leader of the opposition in the outgoing assembly Partha Chatterjee and Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee were in the lead.
Other Trinamool nominees were leading too -- like FICCI secretary general and eminent economist Amit Mitra was ahead of incumbent finance minister Asim Dasgupta in Khardah, singer Anup Ghoshal was ahead in Uttarpara, while theatre personality Bratya Basu and film actress
Jaya headed for majority in Tamil Nadu
CHENNAI: The Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK front forged ahead of its rival the ruling DMK front and is heading for a sweep, according to trends for assembly election in Tamil Nadu.
The AIADMK had established leads in over 190 seats in the 234-member House. The ruling DMK front is way behind, leading only in 39 constituencies.
Corruption charges on various DMK leaders arising out of the 2G spectrum allocation scam have come to haunt the party.
As the AIADMK juggernaut rolls on in Tamil Nadu, a majority of DMK ministers are trailing. The only two among the prominent DMK faces who have established leads are chief minister M Karunanidhi in Tiruvarur and his son M K Stalin in Chennai’s suburban Kolathur.
Among the DMK ministers trailing are finance minister K Anbazhagan, higher education minister K Ponmudi, food minister E V Velu, transport minister KN Nehru, health minister M R K Paneerselvam, backward classes minister K K S S R Ramachandran, agriculture minister Veerapandi Arumugham, hindu religious and charitable endowments minister K R Periyakaruppan, school education minister Thangam Thennarasu, tourism minister Suresh Rajan, sports minister T P M Mohideen Khan, commercial tax minister S N M Ubayadulla, foresh minister N Selvaraj, IT minister Poongothai Aladi Aruna and fisheries minister K P P Samy.
AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa was ahead in Srirangam. Post-poll surveys were not very clear about who would come to power.
Kerala assembly elections: UDF wins in 72 seats against LDF’s 68
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) on Friday managed to wrest power from the ruling CPI(M)-controlled Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala with a wafer-thin majority of two seats in the 140-member Assembly, in the closest poll battle in the state in three decades.
UDF won 72 seats, crossing the magic figure of 71 required for a simple majority as against its rival LDF’s 68.
Led by CPI(M) stalwart, 87-year-old V S Achuthanandan, the LDF succeeded in staving off the anti-incumbency trend against the government, which was reflected in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls and civic elections last year, in which the UDF had stolen march over the Left front.
Even as LDF lost, the CPI(M) emerged as the single largest party with 45 seats while Congress, which contested 82 seats, had to be content with a poor tally of 38 seats.
Friday’s outcome gave the slenderest majority to either of the coalitions that ruled the state alternately in the last three decades. In 2006, the LDF won 98 seats and UDF 42.
The Indian Union Muslim League and Kerala Congress (Mani), which command good following in the Muslim and Christian dominated areas, contributed significantly to UDF’s victory. However, the minor partners of the coalitions like JSS and CMP drew a blank.
The BJP once again proved an electoral flop in the bipolar polity of Kerala despite the saffron party pooling its resources in a handful of seats in north and south.
Prominent UDF candidates, who romped home, include chief ministerial probable Oommen Chandy, KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala, K Muraleedharan (Cong) IUML leader P K Kunhalikutty and Kerala Congress leader K M Mani (Pala).
CPI(M) veteran V S Achuthanandan, whose high spirited campaigning helped the LDF arrest the onslaught of the rival, scored a hat-trick of wins from the red bastion Malampuzha with a margin of over 23,000 votes.
While most of his cabinet colleagues won, Devaswom Minister Ramahandran Kadnapally (Cong-s), Water Resources Minister N K Premachandran (RSP)and Youth Affairs Minister V Surendran Pillai fell by the wayside.
Veterans humbled by the voters included 92-year-old K R Gowry Ammma (JSS) and M V Raghavan (CMP), both UDF partners.
LDF maintained its sway over the northern districts, except the Muslim League-dominated Malappuram.While UDF put up good showing in the Christian heartland Central Travancore, the trend was mixed in the south including the state capital..
Assam polls: Gogoi wins
Assam: Set to retain power for the third consecutive term, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said bringing all insurgents groups, including the ULFA, to the negotiating table would be his main priority to ensure lasting peace in the State.
“Reaching out to the militant groups and bringing lasting peace would be my priority. We have been trying to bring all the insurgent groups including the ULFA to the negotiating table,” Mr. Gogoi said.
The Congress appears to be inching towards getting majority in the 126-member Assembly as the party was leading in 75 seats.
The Chief Minister, however, said even if Congress gets majority on its own, the alliance partner, the Bodoland Peoples Front, would continue to be part of the government as the party helped Congress in “difficult times.”
“We will continue our alliance with BPF as they had helped us in difficult times,” Mr. Gogoi, who is set to become Chief Minister of the militancy-affected State for the third term, said.
75-year-old Gogoi, who had first become Chief Minister in 2001, said people of Assam voted for the Congress as the party provided “good governance” besides ensuring economic development across the state.
“Economic development won us vote. People have rewarded us for the good work,” Gogoi, who had served as Union Minister from 1991 to 1995, said.
Asked about various corruption charges against his government, he said there were no charges against any minister of his cabinet.
“My government probably is the only government in the country which referred nine—ten corruption cases to the CBI,” he said.
Mr. Gogoi also identified “flood and erosion” as major challenges facing the state and said more attention will be paid to deal with the problem.
Asked about influx of Bangladeshis through the porus border with Bangladesh, Mr. Gogoi admitted infiltration was a “problem” for the state but said the issue has been exaggerated by the opposition parties.
“I took the initiative for increasing border outposts along the border (with Bangladesh). Lot of steps are being taken to check infiltration,” he said.
Mr. Gogoi also rued the “perception” outside the Northeast that Assam is a disturbed area.
“Today Assam is a much peaceful state. But outside perception is that it is a disturbed area,” he said.