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Left wins in Kerala, W Bengal
TN, Assam and Pondicherry were headed for coalition Govts.
In a stunning performance, the Left Front on Thursday dislodged Congress-led alliance in Kerala and won a massive victory in West Bengal in the assembly elections that saw the rout of of AIADMK in Tamil Nadu which will have a minority government for the first time.
Assam and Pondicherry, where Congress is in power, were also headed for coalition governments following a split verdict in which the party emerged as the single largest groups.
Assam: All eyes on CM's post
Continuing the cyclical pattern and the victory secured in the 2004 parliamentary elections, the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) bagged 98 seats in the 140-member assembly, leaving just 42 to the opposition.
Congress, which had 77 members in the last assembly, shrunk to 24 and its allies IUML winning just seven of the 21 seats it contested. It had 16 seats in the last assembly.
Interest now centres around who will be the Chief Minister -- whether it will be veteran VS Achuthanandan or Paloli Mohammed Kutty. The CPI(M) politburo is meeting in Delhi on Saturday to decide this.
W Bengal: Left retains vice-like grip
In the other Left bastion West Bengal, the Communists retained their vice-like grip improving their performance with a three-fourths majority in the 294-member House and returning to power for the seventh consecutive term.
With 178 seats, the CPI(M) on its own has a majority and the alliance secured 235 seats against Trinamool Congress' 29 and Congress' 21.
TN: DMK falls short of magic figure
Tamil Nadu, known to giving the winning side sweeping victories, bucked the trend ushering in a coalition era unknown to the state. Four time Chief Minister M Karunanidhi led his party and the alliance to victory, but DMK fell short of the magic figure of by 22 seats in a House of 224.
With letters and assurances of support from Left parties and PMK, 82-year-old Karunanidhi will stake claim on Friday to form the government and is expected to be sworn in on Saturday.
It remains to be seen whether Congress, which was disloged from power by DMK in 1967 and has been out of it ever since in the state, would join the government or support it from outside. Congress leader Veerappa Moily is going to Chennai to talk to Karunanidhi and the issue will be thrashed out on Friday.
Also for the first time in Tamil Nadu, AIADMK will become the opposition party to have 60 seats. Jayalalithaa has already resigned but said she has no regrets in shedding power and claimed she had worked in the best interests of the state.
Assam: Congress looks to allies
In Assam, the ruling Congress failed to secure a majority bagging only 52 of the total of 126 seats and will have to scout for allies to form a government.
The nascent AUDF, which has got ten seats, is one party that Congress will look up to for support but its leader has already set a condition that Tarun Gogoi should not be Chief Minister.
Gogoi, on his part, said that it will be a Congress Chief Minister and it was for the MLAs to choose the leader. Congress General Secretaries Digvijay Singh and Mohsina Kidwai are going to Guwahati to tackle the situation.
The opposition AGP secured 24 seats and its ally CPI and CPI(M) three seats. The BJP retained its present strength with ten seats, one more than the last time.
Pondy: Return to coalition
After six years, the Union territory of Pondicherry, known for unstable governments in the past, returned to coalition era with ruling Congress winning only ten seats in the 30-member House.
However, its alliance partners DMK with seven, PMK (two) and CPI (one) could help it form the government. The AIADMK won three seats and its ally TMC three and MDMK one. Three independents bagged the remaining seats.
