Prepared as it was for another electoral drubbing in both Maharashtra and Haryana, the Congress was mentally reconciled to settling for 16 seats in each State though no leader would say so openly. The Congress arrived at this number on the assumption that it was not possible to do any worse than it had performed in the Lok Sabha elections in both States.
The Congress got one seat in Haryana and two in Maharashtra in the Lok Sabha elections. After doing an Assembly segment-wise analysis of the Lok Sabha results, the Congress concluded that it had led in 16 segments in both States. So, 16 became a benchmark of sorts. ``We can’t do worse and anything beyond is a bonus,’’ is how seasoned Congress leaders prepared themselves for the inevitable.
While Maharashtra brought the party some good tidings with leads in 43 segments five hours after counting, it was bad news all the way for the Congress in Haryana. The Congress had managed a lead in only 14 segments and there is no telling what the last rounds of counting would bring in.
Needless to say, the Congress -- like the other three parties which had contested the Maharashtra elections over the past 15 years in alliance – was in the fray in every constituency of the State. Had the Congress fought this election in the State with the Nationalist Congress Party, then it may have been an even bleaker future for the Grand Old Party in Maharashtra.
