lowest graphics possible day of defeat source

'This is a significant victory for the Congress, in light of the fact that its ideology, leadership and organisation had all been written off,' says Mr Mehta. The induction of Rahul Gandhi, the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, in the election fray was seen by rivals and commentators as a desperate ploy by a sinking party. The 119-year-old party was hobbled by internal feuds and looked listless and lacklustre in the run up to the elections. The revival of fortunes of India's grand old Congress party, has now become the talking point in the country. The average, pragmatic middle class Gujarati does not want a perpetual civil war in the state,' says Mr Khare. It is a clear rejection of communal politics. 'The BJP's setback in Gujarat is one of the redeeming features of this election. Pratap Bhanu Mehta, who teaches government at Harvard University, says it is difficult to pin down any one reason which formed the basis of the judgement of Indian voters. The question is about ways and means of making reforms meaningful for the poor and the dispossessed,' he says. 'The question is not whether economic reforms will continue. Political commentator Harish Khare agrees, saying the extent of the BJP-led coalition's defeat showed the government had followed 'anti-people economics' with its programme of reforms. He reckons the middle and richer urban classes, the beneficiaries of economic reforms and the greatest supporters of the BJP, 'stayed home', whereas the less privileged and the minorities 'stepped out in large numbers to vote'. The less privileged outnumber the middle classes by a big margin,' says Professor Varshney. 'There is no doubt that the Indian economy has done very well of late, but the primary beneficiaries have been the rich and the urban middle class. The less economically privileged sections of India and the minorities have spoken loudly, clearly and unambiguously, and the privileged have in all probability not even stepped out to vote.'Īnalysts believe that, on the whole, India's less privileged - the rural masses and the urban poor - appeared to have found the BJP's 'India Shining' campaign unacceptable and offensive. It is a most surprising result,' says Professor Ashutosh Varshney, who teaches political science at the University of Michigan. The odds that the Congress could so soon become the largest party of India were certainly very low. 'But the margin of NDA's defeat is truly stunning. The television exit polls after the initial rounds had given the first signs of warning: Most of them showed the main opposition Congress and its allies narrowing the gap with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition. The BJP itself was lagging behind in the politically crucial states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Some of its major regional allies such as the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and AIADMK party were in trouble in their respective states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Not that the BJP-led coalition was on a roll in the run-up to the elections, despite glowing reports in the Indian media about its seeming invincibility. It seemed to be a cruel joke in a nation where a third of the people still live on less than $1 a day and human development indices are largely appalling.Īs it turns out, most of the voters were not amused and decided to put the lights out on the BJP and its allies, leaving politicians and analysts stunned by the extent of the defeat. The government spent taxpayers' money spreading the good word. His party spin doctors had coined the phrase 'India Shining' - a reference to what they said was a feel-good factor sweeping the country. Hindu nationalist premier Atal Behari Vajpayee, touted as the ruling coalition's show-stopping, vote-catching statesman-politician, had called the polls six months early on the back of his peace initiatives with nuclear rival and neighbour Pakistan and a perceived heady feeling over robust economic growth. Congress supporters parade posters of Rajiv Gandhi and his widow Sonia

Lowest graphics possible day of defeat source