Modi's sarcasm and Nagpur's 'maha-twist'
On Wednesday, during the counting of votes in 28 Vidhan Sabha seats in 4 states, the BJP camp including Prime Minister Narendra Modi started celebrating widely as the Congress' results were zero. Taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi without naming him on social media, the Prime Minister wrote, 'Picture Abhi Baki Hai...' While the Congress's debacle is being laughed at at the national level, the surprising results in the Nagpur Graduates seat came out on Thursday morning.
Who did the Congress lose? In this prestigious fight in Nagpur, Congress candidate Abhijit Wanjari defeated BJP candidate Sudhakar Kole by 3,271 votes.
Political significance: This defeat of the BJP in the RSS's Khasta taluka and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's home area is being seen as a big blow to the saffron camp. Overall results in Maharashtra and other states
Although overall, the ruling alliance won two out of the total 5 seats in Maharashtra and the opposition 'Maha Vikas Aghadi' (MVA) won 3 seats, the victory in Nagpur has boosted the morale of the Congress camp a lot.
On the other hand, the results in Karnataka have become a matter of some concern for the Congress. Because, the Congress contested the elections there not as an opposition but as the ruling party itself. Also, although the overall results of the Congress in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra were not very promising, the local political equation and the influence of regional parties played a big role in these elections.
Analysts' opinion
In these legislative council elections, registered voters of a specific profession (such as teachers or graduates) vote instead of general voters. As a result, the personal influence of the candidates and the local equation are more effective than national politics. Nevertheless, this blow to the Sangh itself by the BJP and this comeback of the Congress right after Modi's sarcasm has created a stir in the political circles.