2009 witnessed rise of Congress, decline of BJP

YEAR-POLITICS

Sunil Gatade
New Delhi, Dec 31 (PTI) Rise of Congress, further
decline of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the relegation
of the Left and some regional parties to the margins marked
the highs and lows of politics in 2009 as price spiral poses
an intense challenge to the Indian government in the new year
along with Naxal and cross-border terror.

The sudden demise of Chief minister of the south Indian
state of Andhra Pradesh Y S Rajasekhara Reddy in a helicopter
crash saw Congress flounder in the state where he had
delivered to the party on a platter in two consecutive
elections. Topping it, the Centre tied itself up in knots over
the issue of a separate Telangana state by its flip-flop as
the year wrapped up.
2009 turned out to be a watershed year for Indian
politics with Congress' good showing in the Lok Sabha polls
(General Elections), especially displaying revival signs in a
state like Uttar Pradesh that has also raised hopes of its
comeback in the Hindi heartland.
Against the backdrop of Mumbai terror attacks and the
negative effects of a global downturn, the Congress campaign
in the May elections was it was no time to experiment with
any new combination.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was the first
Congress Prime Minister outside the Nehru-Gandhi family to get
a second consecutive term.
In fact, the Congress tally of over 200 in the
543-member Lok Sabha, the Lower House of Parliament, 50 seats
more than it got in 2004, surprised even many a Congressman.
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