Chhattisgarh has witnessed a shocking election result. Everyone, including every single major polling agency in the country, was convinced that the Congress party would retain power. Contrary to all expectations and theories in place, the most unpredictable result has ensued. The BJP has wrested power from the Grand Old Party.
In the last three decades, the Congress party has had a poor track record when it comes to retaining power. Chhatisgarh is not an exception. States such as Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab, and Kerala have seen similar happenings.
But one mass leader ensured that the Congress bucked the trend. It was YS Rajasekhar Reddy, who won a second consecutive term in the then united Andhra Pradesh, in 2009, despite the Maha Kutami alliance. "Today's result buttresses the hypothesis that Congress governments in any large or even mid/ small state, that complete a 5-year term, simply can’t get re-elected. Have to assume it is because their governance record has always been poor. The last ones to do so are Tarun Gogoi of Assam, and YSR, both now deceased," writes Akshay Alladi, a Netizen. (Bhupinder Singh Hooda from Haryana is an exception, but he didn't face the sort of tough circumstances that YSR faced).
It has been more than a decade since YSR passed away. To this day, his name invokes fond memories among his fan base. He was the last great regional Congress leader.
