RIGHT, LEFT & THE LADIES

2016 is a story of incumbency and anti-incumbency. In Assam and Kerala, it was thirst for change. In Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, it was faith in the sitting chief ministers

NEW DELHI: The Assembly elections made history with the Left-Congress poll pact in West Bengal and BJP’s entry in the previously bipolar Kerala. It had the foreign elements –Bangladeshis ‘threatening’ to take over Assam, malnourished Somalians equated with tribals in Kerala and the ‘Italian connection’ via Agusta-Westland chopper deal. There were lungful of scams too, from Kerala CM Oommen Chandy’s alleged links with Saritha Nair, the main accused in a solar scam, to Narada sting operation showing Trinamool Congress leaders in West Bengal accepting cash and Saradha and tribal council scams in Assam. Tamil Nadu touched a new low with MDMK chief Vaiko asking MK Karunanidhi, former CM, to take up the world’s oldest profession (prostitution).

But beneath the noise and clutter, the bottomline was change. Polarised Assam took a Right turn with BJP and its regional allies to end 15 years of Congress rule under Tarun Gogoi. Kerala, smarting from closure of bars, veered Left as CPI-M’s veterans VS Achuthanandan and Pinarayi Vijayan buried the hatchet. And AINRC’s N Rangasamy, who sided with BJP, fell to anti-incumbency in Puducherry.

But results also showed if you performed, you won.

The ladies – Didi and Amma – bucked the trend in contrasting styles. The firebrand Mamata Banerjee overcame a killer flyover mishap to aggressively make TMC retain power in West Bengal. The more restrained J Jayalalithaa, accused of ignoring the flood-hit, remained indoors to steer AIADMK to a second straight term in Tamil Nadu. Both virtually fought single-handed, Banerjee against the Left-Congress combine and an aggressive BJP, Jayalalithaa versus Karunanidhi, MK Stalin, Vijayakanth and Anbumani Ramadoss.