The captain’s win in Punjab is the only bright spot in a desultory congress story, but even fulfilling poll promises will be an uphill task.
OVERWHELMED!” a beaming Amarinder Singh exulted as he emerged from his room on the first floor of his Chandigarh home, a little past noon on March 11. Even though early trends had been positive, the man who is now Punjab’s new chief minister refrained from celebrating victory until Congress’s leads firmly edged past 66—the number he had predicted for the party through the anxious 35 days between polling on February 4 and the results. But two hours on, the final tally—77 out of 117 assembly seats—exceeded his wildest expectations. And it was unprecedented. Never in the history of elections in Punjab has the Congress achieved such a spectacular victory, taking close to two-thirds (65.8 per cent) of the total seats.
After losing two successive elections—in 2007 and 2012—to the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party combine, Amarinder has succeeded in crafting a formidable election campaign that brought the party clear leads across the three geographical regions of Punjab. Virtually sweeping Majha with 22 of the 25 seats, and taking 15 of the 23 Doaba constituencies, the Congress also recorded its biggest ever success, winning 40 of the 69 seats in the electorally significant Malwa region.
The euphoria outside Amarinder’s Chandigarh home was appropriate, given the occasion. Although victory was clearly on the cards this time, no preparations had been put in place (perhaps because of lurking memories of the ignominious drubbing received after days of premature celebrations in 2012). But there were chaotic scenes soon enough, with Amarinder barely managing to wade through the crush of supporters to claim Punjab at his first news conference after the victory.
This story is from the March 27, 2017 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 27, 2017 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The Macallan M 2023 debuts in India
Standing as a pinnacle of exclusivity, The Macallan M 2023 graces the shores of India with limited 10 handpicked bottles for whisky aficionados
Give it up for the science bros
They've got brains, brawn and billions in the bank. A new breed of wellness guru is doing for men what Gwyneth Paltrow did for women.
LIVING BY THE RULES
Chetan Bhagat returns to non-fiction with his new book-11 Rules for Life
The Mysterious City
Anuradha Kumar's The Kidnapping of Mark Twain paints an intriguing portrait of Bombay around the time of the American writer's visit
GOWDA KNOWS
Hot Stage, the third book in Anita Nair's Inspector Gowda mystery series, is here
WITH OUR OWN DESI SLEUTHS
Indian detective fiction gets its due in this massive, two-volume compilation from Hachette
PRIVATE PARADISE
Your home may well be your haven, but here are easy ways to make it your very own spa-dom.
Subversive IN SUBURBIA
A MONTH-LONG SHOW AT ART AND CHARLIE, MUMBAI, SHOWCASING THE WORKS OF POONAM JAIN AND YOGESH BARVE POSES SEVERAL QUESTIONS TO THE VIEWER
THE HOME THAT WAS
A soon-to-launch gallery at the Partition Museum in Delhi will showcase artefacts capturing 'The Lost Homeland of Sindh'
The Enchanted Forest
A perfect refuge for city-weary folk, Six Senses Vana, the global brand's first dedicated wellness retreat in India, is where you go to retrieve yourself: Rest, reset and rejuvenate, the blockbuster RRR of the wellness universe.