Cong wins Maharashtra and Arunachal, Haryana throws up hung House

Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan holds up a victory sign during his visit to the party office in Mumbai

NEW DELHI: The Congress coasted to power in Maharashtra for the third consecutive term and won a landslide victory in Arunachal Pradesh but its gamble in Haryana failed to pay off when it fell short of majority.

The Congress-NCP combine, which has been ruling Maharashtra for the past ten years, got 148 seats out of the total 288 seats. The combine has marginally improved on its performance in the last elections when it got 140.

Congress, which will continue to have the Chief Minister's post.

The fledgling Raj Thackeray-led MNS which made its debut in the assembly by scoring a dozen seats, played the spoilsport for the Shiv Sena-BJP combine.

The saffron combine (BJP and Shiv Sena) secured 92 seats, less than their 2004 tally of 116. 

Shock in Haryana

The outcome in Haryana however has come as a shock for the Congress with the party scrambling for numbers to cobble up a majority in the 90-member House. In the fractured verdict, Congress emerged as the single largest party winning 40 seats, six short of majority.

The Congress has opened channels of communication with Bhajan Lal-led breakaway faction for support and is wooing the seven successful Independent MLAs to help form the next government in the state.

Requiring 46 MLAs to form the government in the 90-member assembly, Congress is short of the magic figure by six.

Party sources said of the 7 Independents, four are Congress rebels while three have their loyalties to INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala.

As both Congress and INLD are in a close race to form government in the state, sources in Congress said channels of communications are open with Bhajan Lal-led Haryana Janhit Congress-BL which has six MLAs.

"Bhajan Lal is an old Congressman...Our channels of communications are open with him," a senior party leader closely associated with Haryana affairs said.

However, the leader said the party does not know what Bhajan Lal would ask for in return for his support.

Congress had denied party ticket to Bhajan Lal's son Chander Mohan alias Chand Mohammed after his controversial conversion to Islam and then reconversion.

Arunachal triumph

ITANAGAR: The ruling Congress stormed back to power with a two-third majority winning 42 of the 60 seats in Arunachal Pradesh assembly while UPA allies Trinamool Congress and NCP emerged victorious in five constituencies each and BJP two.

Of the 42 seats won by Congress, Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu and two others were elected unopposed. The party had contested all the seats.

Trinamool Congress, which contested the elections for the first time in the state, and other UPA ally NCP, won five seats each. Trinamool had contested 26 seats, NCP 36 and opposition BJP 18 seats.

The Congress, however, received a setback as seven- time MLA and former chief minister Gegong Apang and his son Omak lost to their NCP and BJP rivals respectively.

-PTI