TMC sweeps Bengal, holds off strong charge from BJP top brass; Stalin to lead Tamil Nadu as CM even as AIADMK puts up good show; Left wins historic 2nd term in Kerala, Pinarayi bucks four-decade trend by retaining power

letters@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI:

Three states beat anti-incumbency on Sunday with Mamata Banerjee emerging the star of the day – though she lost a key constituencies -- to lead her party, the Trinamool Congress, to triumph in West Bengal for a third consecutive term while her arch rival, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was poised for return in Assam as was the CPI(M)-LED Left Democratic Front in Kerala, according to the results announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI). As votes were counted with strict Covid-19 protocols in place, the results pointed to a win for Tamil Nadu’s opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (Dmk)-led alliance over the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). In Puducherry, the All India NR Congress (AINRC)-LED National Democratic Alliance (NDA) bagged majority seats.

Both the timing and the nature of the contest in the five states have lent it a special significance.

The state elections of 2021 took place at a time when institutions and the political leadership believed that India had turned a corner in the battle against the pandemic — but as campaigning proceeded, India’s Covid case count began rising in March and April, bringing a second wave of Covid-19 infections which has strained the health system, and led to an unprecedented number of cases and deaths globally every day.

By mid- to late-april, parties stepped back from crowded rallies but public health experts have pointed out that having large gatherings, in defiance of Covid protocols, may be among the factors leading to the surge. Both ECI and political parties have come under criticism for the manner and timing of elections.

But in terms of the substantive political competition, the battle in some of India’s most politically cru

State Elections