Assembly Elections 2011 results- Historic victory for Mamata; red bastion falls

Breaking the Red citadel, Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress ended the 34-year hegemony of the Left Front in West Bengal, while Jayalalithaa's AIADMK scored a landslide victory to oust DMK from power in Tamil Nadu as results of the assembly elections was out. Congress scored a spectacular hattrick in Assam bagging a near two-third majority to retain power and managed to wrest power from the Left Democratic Front in Kerala by a wafer-thin majority but lost Puducherry to its rebel. We bring you the latest news and happenings from the five states that matter. Join us on Monday for Live updates.

Tamil Nadu

Alliance	Change	Won
ADMK	+126	203
DMK	-119	31
Others		0

Kerala

Alliance	Change	Won
UDF	+31	72
LDF	-24	68
Others		0

West Bengal

Alliance	Change	Won
TMC	+173	225
Left	-166	63
Others		6

Assam

Alliance	Change	Won
Cong	+23	76
BJP	-6	4
AGP	-14	10
Others		36

Puducherry

Alliance	Change	Won
NRC	+16	20
Cong	-10	9
Others		1

Gogoi's hat-trick in Assam

GUWAHATI: Tarun Gogoi earned a larger-than-life place in the hearts of his fellow partymen by leading Congress to victory for the third successive time in Assam.

The writing on the wall was clear — the Congress won an absolute majority in the 126-member state assembly, winning in 78 seats. The majority mark in the Assam assembly is 64.

Despite winning a majority, the Congress is set to form the next government with its pre-poll ally, Bodoland People's Front (BPF), led by Hagrama Mohilary, a former militant. The BPF managed keep its hold on the Bodo heartland and improved its tally by winning 12 seats.

Gogoi proved he is the Congress's best mascot in Assam by leading the party to victory from panchayat to Parliament in all the elections, barring one, since 2001. He also showed, once again, that the people of Assam have no alternative to him at this juncture, when the state is seriously trying to buy peace with rebel outfit Ulfa.

The biggest surprise in this election was the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), led by perfume baron Badaruddin Ajmal. By winning 18 seats, the AIUDF emerged as the largest opposition party. Its 2006 tally was only 10.

The party, which champions the cause of Muslims, proved wrong the predictions of all exit polls.

The main opposition, AGP, which went all out against Gogoi, accusing his government of being neck-deep in corruption, faced a humiliating defeat and managed only 10 seats.

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Assembly elections: Historic win for Trinamool Congress in Bengal

KOLKATA: The Trinamool Congress on Friday headed for a historic win in West Bengal, bringing down the curtain on the 34-year uninterrupted rule of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) led Left Front.

The Left Front - the longest serving Communist-led government in a democratic set-up headed for a rout.

West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee tendered his resignation to governor MK Narayanan at 1.15pm on Friday. He lost his seat and is only the second chief minister in Bengal's history to lose the assembly seat. Prafulla Sen, the third chief minister of Bengal, was the first to lose.

As the state was poised to get its first woman chief minister in Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee after about 64 years after independence, the defeat of the Left Front spanned almost the entire geographical map of West Bengal.

Its candidates were losing even in erstwhile red citadels like Burdwan, Bankura and Purulia districts and in seats where the coalition had never been defeated since coming to power in 1977.

The Trinamool headed for a landslide bagging 42 of the 294 seats and leading in 144 demolishing the 34-year-old Left citadel in West Bengal in the assembly elections.

Trinamool's ally Congress won 12 seats and was leading in 30.

As per the trends, the Trinamool Congress could form the ministry on its own as the magic figure for government formation is 148.

Left Front major, CPM has so far bagged 13 seats and was ahead in 24.

LF partner, Forward Bloc won three seats and was ahead in nine, while RSP and CPI, two other constituents were leading in 6 and 3 seats respectively.

Independents were leading in two and others in six. Majors Left Front figures including finance minister Ashim Dasgupta, tndustry minister Nirupam Sen, housing minister Goutam Deb and IT minister Debesh Das were trailing.

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee dedicated her party's stupendous victory to 'Ma, Mati, Manush' drawing parallels with the freedom struggle and promised good governance, while saying that there would be an end to "autocracy and atrocities".

"Not only in Bengal and India, people across the world were waiting for this verdict and we express our gratitude to all of them," Banerjee said.

Accepting the poll verdict, a joint statement by the chief minister and Left Front chairman, Biman Bose described the debacle as 'unexpected'. They, however, said the Left would play the role of a responsible and constructive opposition in the assembly.
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Kerala assembly elections 2011: UDF wins by narrow margin

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Backed by a consolidation of religious minorities, Congress-led UDF in Kerala on Friday gained a narrow majority over the CPM-controlled LDF in the 140-member state Assembly.

The Congress-led UDF won 72 seats, just one more than a simple majority. The LDF bagged 68 seats.

Outgoing Kerala chief minister VS Achutanandan said on Friday that he would not try to garner a majority using disgruntled members from other parties and would sit in the opposition.

The Congress on Friday said its less than expected performance in Kerala, where it managed a wafer-thin majority, was due to CPM leader and chief minister VS Achuthanandan getting voters' sympathy for attacks on him by his own party.

"We were not expecting such a narrow win for UDF but it was the sympathy of voters for VS Achuthanandan which helped him garner the votes," a senior Congress leader said here.

Though the state was poised to live up to its reputation of giving mandate to the rival coalitions alternately, the UDF tally fell far short of its expectations going by its splendid showing in the Lok Sabha polls in 2009.

In 2006 assembly polls, LDF won 98 seats and UDF 42. Even as the UDF is all set to scrape through, the performance of the coalition leader Congress' performance was none too impressive as it could win only 23 seats.

While UDF's main partner, Indian Union Muslim League, put up a sterling performance, minor components JSS and CMP were washed out.

The prominent UDF candidates who romped home include its chief ministerial probable Oommen Chandy, KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala, K Muraleedharan (Cong), IUML leader P K Kuhalikutty and Kerala Congress leader K M Mani (Pala).

Chief minister VS Achuthanandan scored a hat-trick from the CPM stronghold Malampuzha by a huge margin of 20,000 votes over Lathika Subhash of the Congress.

Most of the ministers including home and tourism minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan received a fresh mandate.

The LDF maintained sway over most of the northern districts, except the Muslim League-dominated Malappuram.

While the UDF put up a good showing in the Christian heartland Central Travancore, the trend was mixed in down south including the state capital.

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Tamil Nadu assembly polls: Jayalalithaa's AIADMK sweeps state

CHENNAI: The Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK front forged ahead of its rival the ruling DMK front and is heading for a sweep, according to trends for assembly election in Tamil Nadu.

The AIADMK had established leads in over 190 seats in the 234-member House. The ruling DMK front is way behind, leading only in 39 constituencies.

Corruption charges on various DMK leaders arising out of the 2G spectrum allocation scam have come to haunt the party.

As the AIADMK juggernaut rolls on in Tamil Nadu, a majority of DMK ministers are trailing.

M Karunanidhi has submitted his resignation as the Tamil Nadu chief minister to governor Surjit Singh Barnala.

Among the DMK ministers trailing are finance minister K Anbazhagan, higher education minister K Ponmudi, food minister E V Velu, transport minister KN Nehru, health minister M R K Paneerselvam, backward classes minister K K S S R Ramachandran, agriculture minister Veerapandi Arumugham, hindu religious and charitable endowments minister K R Periyakaruppan, school education minister Thangam Thennarasu, tourism minister Suresh Rajan, sports minister T P M Mohideen Khan, commercial tax minister S N M Ubayadulla, foresh minister N Selvaraj, IT minister Poongothai Aladi Aruna and fisheries minister K P P Samy.

AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa was ahead in Srirangam.

Post-poll surveys were not very clear about who would come to power.

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Mamata takes Bengal, TN goes to Jaya; Assam, Kerala to Cong

NEW DELHI: Mamata Banerjee stormed the Red bastion terminating the Left Front's 34-year stranglehold on West Bengal, while Jayalalithaa wrested 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 minister Buddhadeb 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.

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