Delhi setback to tilt balance of power for Congress towards South
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The Delhi results will also give credence to the claims in political circles that the Congress' impressive haul of votes in the assembly polls in the two southern states was largely due to the influence of local leaders over and above the appeal of welfare guarantees, as well as other local factors.
In the north, the Congress rules only Himachal Pradesh on its own. The Delhi shocker comes on the back of its rout in Haryana and Maharashtra. Evidently, the loss in Delhi may even tilt the balance of power towards the South for the Congress. The party leadership may not have the moral courage to preach the southern leaders on how to win polls or summon them to Delhi to take orders until the party delivers a decisive victory or two.
In the South, the Congress has been in alliance with regional parties, including the DMK in Tamil Nadu and Indian Union Muslim League in Kerala. The two states are headed for assembly polls next year. «The two regional parties will play hardball while negotiating seat-sharing. The Congress will be at the mercy of regional leaders and under pressure to accept whatever comes its way,» said S Suresh Kumar, BJP MLA in Bengaluru.
The latest setback for the grand old party comes on the heels of AICC president Mallikarjuna Kharge's call to top leaders in Belagavi in December that they must actively fight the atmosphere of disappointment the Haryana and Maharashtra results have created. He vowed to make the party combat-ready to win elections at all levels.
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