Hung Assemblies: Who Will Win The War Of Attrition?
By A Special Correspondent
First publised on 2022-03-09 10:34:32
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With exit polls showing that at least two states - Goa and Uttarakhand - are headed for hung assemblies, political maneuverings have started in real earnest in Panjim and Dehradun. In Goa especially, the Congress, wary of a repeat of 2017 when despite being the single largest party with 17 seats (out of a total of 40) it allowed the BJP to form the government in alliance with smaller parties and some defectors, is taking all precautions to prevent such a thing from happening again. It has already shifted its candidates to a resort to keep the flock together. It has also deputed Karnataka leader D K Sivakumar to oversee things in the state. It has also reportedly started negotiations with other parties, including AAP and TMC, for an alliance in case of a hung assembly. The BJP has also begun to scout for potential allies and must be eyeing defections from the Congress or return of those who left the party.
In Uttarakhand, both the Congress and the BJP are having a series of closed-door meetings to take stock of the situation. Although the Congress maintains that it will get a majority, it is also preparing for a 2012-like situation when it 32 seats to BJPs 31 and formed the government with the help of the BSP and independents. But it was the ruling party at the Centre then. The situation has changed now. If the BJP falls short by a couple of seats, it is unlikely to allow the Congress to walk away with the prize. The Congress has deputed party MP Deepender Hooda as a special observer and he is already in Dehradun. BJPs top gun and party general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and union minister Prahlad Joshi are camping in Dehradun.
It is clear that if the two states indeed throw up hung assemblies, there will be a period of uncertainty and accusations and counter-accusations of horse trading will follow. In Goa, with the AAP and the TMC both principally against both the Congress and the BJP, the chances of an alliance look bleak. It will then fall upon the smaller parties in the TMC alliance or the independents, or defectors from any of the parties, to support either the BJP or the Congress to facilitate the 'formation' of a government. In Uttarakhand too, both parties are reaching out to winnable candidates from other smaller parties and independents for support.
