Verdict 2011: Landslide for Mamata, Jayalalitha

Of the four states and the Union Territory of Puducherry that went to the polls in April-May, in Assam the Congress retained power as the Tarun ogoi-led party won its third consecutive mandate to rule the state.

The north-eastern state saw two major opposition parties—the BJP and Asom gana Parishad—outvoted, getting fewer seats than in the last elections. Contrary to all expectations in political circles until a few weeks ago, the CPM-led Left Democratic Front in Kerala almost managed to duck the voter sentiment against the ruling parties. However, the rival Congress-led United Democratic Front just managed to get a majority in the 140-member state Assembly.

The UDF secured 72 seats while the LDF ed by charismatic CPM leader and Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan got 68 seats. In Puducherry, however, the ruling Congress was swept out f power in strong anti-incumbency waves and the AIADMK got back the tiny Union Territory after a gap of well over a decade.

While the counting was still not complete for all the 294 assembly seats in the West Bengal Assembly, the Left Front’s unprecedented poll rout was obvious by the first hour of the counting of ballots. Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee tendered his resignation to Governor M K Narayanan by early afternoon. Bhattacharjee and a large number of his ministerial colleagues lost the elections from their respective constituencies.

Banerjee, who has not contested these elections to concentrate on the campaign for her party and the candidates put up by the Congress coalition partner, staked her claim to form a new government in the state. She invited her coalition glory. The 56-year-old leader, who is also the Railway minister, said the new government would provide good governance and an impartial administration. Government priority “The new government’s priority would be to restore people's democratic rights and provide good governance and impartial partners to join her prospective overnment, though the Trinamool Congress itself has won a simple majority in the 294- member state Assembly.

Mamata Banerjee, the architect of the Bengal turnaround, sounded humble in her hour of  glory. The 56-year-old leader, who is also the Railway minister, said the new government would provide good governance and an impartial administration. “The new government’s priority would be to restore people's democratic rights and provide good governance and impartial administration free from politicisation,” she told journalists at her residence in Kolkata.

It was no less a decisive mandate in Tamil Nadu. Never since the 1980 Assembly elections had a Dravidian party won an Assembly election in he state without having the Congress as its partner.