ISAS Insights

The Congress was the biggest loser in the Uttar Pradesh (UP) elections. Its poor showing has come as a blow to the Congress' prime ministerial aspirant, Rahul Gandhi, who led the election campaign in the state. It also showed up a campaign that did not send out the right message as well as the poor organization of the party at the grassroots. Though the big win of the Samajwadi Party in UP confounded analysts, it won on an anti-incumbency wave where the voters saw it as the only viable alternative to form a stable government. The national implications of the poll result are likely to be more assertive regional parties and policy gridlock.