NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal (JD) shattered the hopes of the Congress (I) pushing the party out of, power in six Of the eight states where assembly elections were held on Tuesday,

The BJP’s remarkable comeback in the Lok Sabha (lower house) polls last November continued as the party wrested power from the Congress I in Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh where it was all set to form a government on its own.

The winds of change also lashed western state of Gujarat and northern state of Rajasthan where the Janata Dal and the BJP were poised to form governments.

It was a narrow win in the union territory of Pondicherry for the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham (DMK) led front (comprising Janata Dal and Communist Party of India) which won 15 of the 30 seats.

The Congress (I) AIAKMK alliance bagged 14, with one Seat going to an independent.

In eastern state of Orissa, the Janata Dal bagged 110 of the 131 seats declared so far. The congress got nine seats and the BJP won two seats.

In Madhya Pradesh in central India, the BJP triumphed in 143 constituencies while the Congress (I) won 42 seats, The Janata Dal managed to get 15 seats.

Of the 179 results declared in Gujarat, the Janata Dal has 69 seats while the BJP got 64 and the Congress I won 33.

State chief minister Madhav Singh Solanki (Congress-I) won from Borsad constituency defeating his nearest BJP rival by over 39,000 votes.

The desert state of Rajasthan voted heavily for the BJP which won 78 seats while the Janata Dal got 44. So far results of 167 of the 199 seats have been declared.

In the northern state of Himachal Pradesh the BJP tasted victory in 20 of 27 seats, results of which were declared so far. Polling was held in 65 assembly constituencies.

First results from eastern state of Bihar saw the BJP winning five seats. The Janata Dal got three while the Congress (I) managed three seats, The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha won four seats.

The Congress (I) bagged four seats in Arunachal Pradesh with three of its candidates winning unopposed.

Article extracted from this publication >> March 9, 1990