Cong storms back to power in Karnataka
Patel Ministry resigns

NEW DELHI, Oct 7 (UNI) — After a five-year gap, the Congress stormed back to power in Karnataka but the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP alliance was maintaining its lead in the Maharashtra Assembly elections and the ruling Telugu Desam party was on course for a comfortable majority in Andhra Pradesh.

The ruling Congress got a two-third majority in the 60-member Arunachal Pradesh Assembly while riding a dream run, the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front stormed to a two-thirds majority in the 32-member Sikkim assembly.

Maharashtra: The ruling Sena-BJP alliance had bagged 93 seats in the 288-member Maharashtra assembly and was leading in 31 constituencies

The Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party were moving neck and neck securing 56 and 44 seats. The Congress was leading in 21 and the NCP in 13 seats.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Narayan Rane won from his home constituency Malwan in Sindhudurg district of Konkan region by defeating his nearest Congress rival Nandkumar Shridhar Sawant by a margin of 27,310 votes while Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde had established comfortable lead of more than 14,000 votes in his home constituency Renapur in Beed district of the Marathwada region over his nearest NCP rival T. P. Munde.

Among the NCP winners former Minister of State for Energy Ajit Pawar, nephew of former Defence Minister and party president Sharad Pawar retained his Baramati assembly seat defeating by a huge margin of 50,368 votes his nearest rival Chanderrao Taware (Ind). Senior NCP leader Sudhakarrao Naik and party candidate Dr Vimal Mundada were leading in Pusad and Kaij constituencies respectively.

State Cooperation Minister Jayaprakash Mundada (SS) and former Minister of State Mr Ashok Chavan (Cong) who is also the son of senior Congress leads S B Chavan, are other prominent candidates leading in Basmat and Mudkhed constituencies respectively.

Andhra Pradesh: The TDP has so far captured 97 of the 158 seats declared so far in the 294-member Andhra Pradesh assembly. The Congress could manage to win only 47 seats. The BJP won seven seats, the MIM and Independents four and three respectively.

Several Congress stalwarts were humbled, with the biggest upset being that of Congress Legislature Party leader P Janardhan Reddy, who was defeated by a political novice and former CBI Director K Vijayarama Rao. Others include former APCC presidents K Rosaiah, V Hanumanth Rao, former ministers M Sashidhar Reddy and P V Ranga Rao. Son of former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao.

Both Communist parties which won 30 seats in alliance with the TDP in the last elections faced a near rout.

Another prominent leader who lost was Ch Rajeshwar Rao, who quit the CPI and joined the Telugu Desam just before the elections.

The alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party and TDP has paid dividends to both the parties. The BJP is likely to cross the double digit mark for the first time.

The son of late N T Rama Rao, Mr Harikrishna, who formed the Anna Telugu Desam Party and widow of N T Rama Rao Ms Lakshmiparvathi were among the prominent losers.

Karnataka: Capitalising on a strong anti-incumbency wave and confusion in the BJP and the Janata Dal combine, the Congress romped back to power in Karnataka winning 132 of the 223 seats for which results have been declared so far.

The Congress will be running the administration from the Vidhana Soudha after a gap of five years. The results which came as a rude shock to the NDA combine and the Janata Dal (Secular) leaders also defied exit pollsters projections.

Despite two of the BJP's top leaders in the state biting the dust, the party improved upon its position winning 44 seats. The Janata Dal (U) won 19 seats while Janata Dal (Secular) bagged eight. While the AIADMK lost Gandhinagar seat, it regained the KGF. Rebels have done well as 19 Independents have emerged victorious in the elections. But they will have no role as the Congress had crossed the half way mark on its own strength.

The results set in motion behind the scene activities in the Congress circles. The All India Congress Committee General Secretary in charge of Karnataka Ghulam Nabi Azad held discussions with state unit president S M Krishna, who led the party to a thumping victory. Though the Congress had not projected anybody as the Chief Minister, many of the leaders have expressed their willingness to share the responsibility.

Former Chief Minister S Bangarappa, who has been elected to parliament from Shimoga, and leader of the opposition in the dissolved assembly Mallikarjuna Kharge were among those who have offered to head the government. The name of former Union Railway Minister C K Jaffer Sharief is also being talked about in party circles.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister J.H. Patel submitted the resignation of his Council of Ministers. Mr Patel, too, was defeated from Chennegiri.