NEW DELHI: Mamata Banerjee stormed the Red bastion terminating the Left Front's 34-year stranglehold on West Bengal, while Jayalalithaawrested power with a landslide victory over DMK in the assembly elections whose results were out on Friday.
Congress added to Left's discomfiture by snatching power in Kerala by a slender margin while it scored a spectacular hattrick in Assam bagging a near two-third majority to retain power.
However, the party surrendered power to a rebel in Puducherry who left the party only a few months ago and teamed up with AIADMK to secure two-thirds majority in the 30-member assembly.
Although it put up a brave face, there was more bad news for the Congress in the two Lok Sabha by-elections.
The Congress was humiliated in Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh -- a development bound to cost the party dearly in the politically crucial state -- and defeated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bastar in Chhattisgarh.
In Kadapa, the Congress candidate came second but lost his deposit after YS Jaganmohan Reddy, son of the late chief minister YSR Rajasekhara Reddy, retained the seat with a record margin of 543,053 votes -- three times the winning margin of 2009.
Riding a wave of change in a state where Left ideology ruled the roost for over three decades, Banerjee along with allies Congress and SUCI gave a severe drubbing to the Left Front.
The Banerjee-led alliance was set to capture over two-thirds majority by winning over 225 seats in the 294 seat assembly. Banerjee, railway minister at the Centre, did not contest the elections.
Trinamool Congress has won 224 seats and was leading in 1 seat, while Congress bagged 42.
On the rival side, the CPI(M), which headed the Left Front, has won 63 seats.
The CPI(M) suffered humiliation when a number of its bigwigs, including chief ministerBuddhadeb Bhattacharjee, bit the dust. Shortly after defeat, Bhattacharjee resigned.
With defeats in West Bengal and Kerala, the Left will have power only in Tripura.
Tamil Nadu lived up to its 'winner takes all' reputation as Jayalalithaa swept back to power with a landslide victory with her alliance set to cross the 200 mark in the 234-member assembly.
Riding the plank of DMK's alleged corruption in the form of 2G spectrum scam and perceived resentment over the 'family rule' of chief minister Karunanidhi, AIADMK on its own is set to get 151 seats.
The party has won 198 seat and was leading in another 6 seats. The DMK and allies won 28 seats and was ahead in 2.
State Congress president KV Thangkabalu, who made a dramatic entry into the contest after the alleged bungling over his wife's candidature, lost the Mylapore seat by nearly 30,000 votes.
Congress added to Left's discomfiture by snatching power in Kerala by a slender margin while it scored a spectacular hattrick in Assam bagging a near two-third majority to retain power.
However, the party surrendered power to a rebel in Puducherry who left the party only a few months ago and teamed up with AIADMK to secure two-thirds majority in the 30-member assembly.
Although it put up a brave face, there was more bad news for the Congress in the two Lok Sabha by-elections.
The Congress was humiliated in Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh -- a development bound to cost the party dearly in the politically crucial state -- and defeated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bastar in Chhattisgarh.
In Kadapa, the Congress candidate came second but lost his deposit after YS Jaganmohan Reddy, son of the late chief minister YSR Rajasekhara Reddy, retained the seat with a record margin of 543,053 votes -- three times the winning margin of 2009.
Riding a wave of change in a state where Left ideology ruled the roost for over three decades, Banerjee along with allies Congress and SUCI gave a severe drubbing to the Left Front.
The Banerjee-led alliance was set to capture over two-thirds majority by winning over 225 seats in the 294 seat assembly. Banerjee, railway minister at the Centre, did not contest the elections.
Trinamool Congress has won 224 seats and was leading in 1 seat, while Congress bagged 42.
On the rival side, the CPI(M), which headed the Left Front, has won 63 seats.
The CPI(M) suffered humiliation when a number of its bigwigs, including chief ministerBuddhadeb Bhattacharjee, bit the dust. Shortly after defeat, Bhattacharjee resigned.
With defeats in West Bengal and Kerala, the Left will have power only in Tripura.
Tamil Nadu lived up to its 'winner takes all' reputation as Jayalalithaa swept back to power with a landslide victory with her alliance set to cross the 200 mark in the 234-member assembly.
Riding the plank of DMK's alleged corruption in the form of 2G spectrum scam and perceived resentment over the 'family rule' of chief minister Karunanidhi, AIADMK on its own is set to get 151 seats.
The party has won 198 seat and was leading in another 6 seats. The DMK and allies won 28 seats and was ahead in 2.
State Congress president KV Thangkabalu, who made a dramatic entry into the contest after the alleged bungling over his wife's candidature, lost the Mylapore seat by nearly 30,000 votes.
