BJP, Cong so near, yet so far
Who will form the government in Uttarakhand is as hazy as it is clear in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, Anupam Trivedi reports. Decisive factors | Celebration, missing, only calculation | Khanduri lost to internal politics, outsider plank
Who will form the government in Uttarakhand is as hazy as it is clear in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.
However, the BJP and the Congress are equally confident.
The Congress has welcomed the mandate. "We will meet the governor and stake claim," said Birender Singh, who is in charge of Uttarakhand affairs.
In the 2012 assembly polls, the BJP tally could not cross 31 whereas the Congress too has fallen four short of 36.
"Raj Bhawan is keeping an eye on the developments," said a source at the governor's house.
Meanwhile, both the camps have begun back channel talks on forming the government.
Both the Congress and BJP are banking on the support of three independents, all of whom have a Congress background.
Preetam Panwar, the lone MLA of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, has also been approached.Though the Congress has performed quite well in the hill districts, the party has suffered a setback in the plains. It could win only in five seats in two major districts - Haridwar and Udhamsingh Nagar - which together account for 20 seats.
Of the 11 assembly seats in Haridwar, the party won only three.
"Here the mandate is against union minister of state Harish Rawat, who also happens to be the MP from Haridwar," a party functionary said.
The Uttarakhand verdict has come as a setback for the Bahujan Samaj Party as its number of MLAs has slipped from eight to three.Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Mukhtar Ansari Death News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.