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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| BJP defeated in Indian elections |
| 2004-05-14 |
| Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee resigned on Thursday as the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by Vajpayeeâs Bharatiya Janata Party was voted out of power in Indiaâs general elections in an unexpected electoral verdict, which paved the way for the return of the Congress-led alliance after eight years. After daylong deliberations and a meeting with his cabinet, Prime Minister Vajpayee drove to Presidentâs House and handed in his resignation to President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. Vajpayeeâs resignation ended six years of BJP rule which had such diverse highlights as the Kargil conflict, a virtual war with Pakistan, and peace initiatives in Lahore, Islamabad and Agra. The results, which sent the NDA tumbling to 183 seats in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Indian parliament (down from 299 in the last elections) not only surprised the ruling alliance but also the media and pollsters. The BJP got 140 seats, 41 less than last time while the Congress bagged 147, a gain of 33 seats. The Left Front managed its best showing of 57 seats, becoming an important crutch for the Congress to reach the crucial figure of 272 to stake its claim to power. The inclusion of the Left Front in the power structure will signify many changes in Indiaâs economic and foreign policies. Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader M Salim told Daily Times that a common minimum programme (CMP) would be evolved and economic reforms will be given a human face. He said the Front will also force the new government to dump a âpro-Americaâ policy to a mature âpro-Indiaâ and non-aligned foreign policy. Conceding that it had lost the peopleâs mandate, the NDA said it would sit in the opposition. NDA Convener George Fernandes told reporters that the leader of opposition would be decided by the newly-elected MPs. However, insiders told Daily Times that Mr Vajpayee was reluctant to wear the cap of opposition leader and wanted to leave for a quiet life. They said his partyâs leaders spent the whole day on Thursday urging him to continue as their leader. The Congress combine virtually wiped out the ruling NDA in several states, including Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh and made major inroads in the BJP bastion of Gujarat and Delhi. The ultra-Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh blamed the BJPâs âdilutionâ of the Hindutva agenda for its drubbing and said the core ideology should take centre stage for the party to make a comeback. |
| Posted by:Paul Moloney |
| #1 All I gotta say is that they're all just a bunch of hypocrites. |
| Posted by: Valentine 2004-05-14 4:50:32 AM |