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| India-Pakistan |
| India's Congress whipped in anti-graft poll backlash |
| 2013-12-09 |
| [Pak Daily Times] A stunning performance by an upstart anti-corruption party helped topple India's ruling Congress in elections to New Delhi's state assembly Sunday, only months before the country goes to the polls. Congress, in power at national level for a decade, was also in danger of losing control of three other state assemblies up for grabs in Sunday's vote count, in a devastating blow ahead of next year's general election. "All I can say is that the people of Delhi have taken a decision which we respect," said Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit as it became clear that Congress would come a distant third in Delhi after 15 years in power. "We will analyse later what went wrong," added Dikshit, who lost her own seat to Arvind Kejriwal, leader of the fledgling Aam Aadmi Party (Common People's Party). Kejriwal, who only started his party a year ago, said his was a "victory of the people". "I am absolutely confident that finally the country will win, the people will win and democracy will win," added the former civil servant, who has tapped into growing anger over corruption during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's tenure. Aam Aadmi would even manage to prevent the main Hindu nationalist opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from winning a majority in New Delhi, according to forecasts from the electoral commission. The BJP had either won or was leading in 31 of the Delhi assembly seats while Aam Aadmi was in line to capture 27 seats. Congress trailed in third with a forecast tally of just nine, down from 43. Official forecasts based on partial results showed the BJP would record landslide wins in the states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, although it had only a slender lead over Congress in restive Chhattisgarh. The elections for the four states have been held at different points over the last month but the counting had been postponed until Sunday. Votes will be counted in the remote Congress-ruled state of Mizoram on Monday. Aam Aadmi only fielded candidates in New Delhi but the results will increase expectations that it will run nationwide when the world's largest democracy holds its general election, by next May at the latest. "We have succeeded in altering the political discourse of the elections," Atishi Marlena, one of Kejriwal's top lieutenants, told the NDTV network. "I think it's historic that a party that was formed just a year ago, a party which was written off till yesterday by the other two big parties, has made such a spectacular debut." Triumphant Aam Aadmi supporters at party headquarters waved brooms -- the symbol of its pledge to clean up politics. BJP activists celebrated in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, dancing to the beat of drums, bursting firecrackers and waving the party's lotus symbol. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #8 More like Head Dikshit. |
| Posted by: Secret Asian Man 2013-12-09 20:16 |
| #7 So, would the the family patriarch be referred to as the Dikshit Head? |
| Posted by: BrerRabbit 2013-12-09 19:27 |
| #6 For India's sake I hope this isn't one of those "anti-corruption" parties that only complains that they're not the ones in charge of the corruption. Only time will tell. The Aam Aadmi Party is just barely a year old. Yes, Sheila's surname is unusual, to Americans. Indians don't make the connection. I've rarely heard English speaking Indians use the word the shit, except my wife. And for that I take full responsibility. I'm a bad influence. Dikshit or Dikshitar (Hindi: दीक्षित) is a Hindu family name. The word is an adjective form of the Sanskrit word diksha, meaning provider of knowledge. |
| Posted by: Secret Asian Man 2013-12-09 18:19 |
| #5 U just can't make this stuff up...Sheila who?! Been wondering about that. Them folks down there speak (a rapid version of) The King's. I mean...they must know... |
| Posted by: Dopey Sinatra 2013-12-09 14:33 |
| #4 ...or utterly inept. The record seems to indicate people will put up with corruption as long as 'the trains run on time' (schools are apparently exempted from these categories of third rail events). |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2013-12-09 13:45 |
| #3 For India's sake I hope this isn't one of those "anti-corruption" parties that only complains that they're not the ones in charge of the corruption. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2013-12-09 13:16 |
| #2 Christmas wishes that it will happen here. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2013-12-09 11:07 |
| #1 U just can't make this stuff up...Sheila who?! |
| Posted by: 2sealys 2013-12-09 09:19 |