SAD-BJP gains Punjab, BJP Uttarakhand, Cong gets Manipur

New Delhi, Feb 27 (UNI) Cashing in on the anti-incumbency wave and the public outcry against inflation the Akali Dal-BJP combine stormed to power in Punjab today and the BJP secured a clear mandate to rule Uttarakhand.

The Congress, which met its waterloo in the two northern states, however had the consolation of holding on to power in the northeastern state of Manipur.

The outcome in the Assembly elections clearly send alarming signals for the Congress, ahead of the 'Mahasangram' in the politically most important state of Uttar Pradesh in April-May.

Old warhorse and Akali stalwart Parkash Singh Badal is all set to become Chief Minister of Punjab for the fourth time while former union minister Maj Gen (Retd) B C Khanduri is among the BJP frontrunner for the chief ministership of Uttarakhand.

A triumphant BJP-SAD alliance reaped rich electoral dividends in Punjab on the eve of the harvesting season in the farm state with the Parkash Singh Badal-led alliance ousting the Amarinder Singh-led Congress regime from power. The SAD-BJP alliance garnered 67 seats in the 117-member House while the Congress got 44 in its bag, of the 110 assembly seats, results for which had been declared so far.

Capt Singh, while conceding defeat, submitted his resignation to Punjab Governor Gen (Retd) S F Rodrigues. He has been asked by the Governor to continue in the office till the formation of the new government. With the Congress loss, the anti-incumbency jinx continued in Punjab where no ruling party has managed to retain power since 40 years.

A meeting of the newly-elected MLAs of the SAD-BJP combine has been called in Chandigarh tomorrow to formally elect the leader of the alliance partners' legislature group.

The meeting, convened by SAD President Prakash Singh Badal at the Punjab Bhavan here at noon, will be presided by Mr Badal himself, according to SAD Secretary Daljit Singh Cheema.

On a comeback trail in the fledgling state of Uttarakhand, witnessing its second assembly election, the BJP emerged as the single largest party in the 70-member assembly, winning 34 seats.

The Congress won 21 seats, while the BSP has made a strong showing in the Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts, winning eight seats. The Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) got three and independents won three.

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