That's all, your honour!: March 4-10

1. Before getting into the results of elections held in 5 states held in our country, a quick note about the elections in Russia. Vladimir Putin was elected as President of Russia. He served as President for 8 years earlier. However, since he himself proposed that no one should be President for more than two consecutive terms, he stepped down as President in 2008. After a 4 year stint as Prime Minister, he returns back as President, winning ~62% of the total votes cast. However, the constitution has now been amended to extend a single term from 4 to 6 years. So now Putin is looking to be President for 12 more years. There is also some discontent brewing against him in Russia - people are coming out onto the streets and protesting. His last stint bought Russia again onto the economic forefront, but has increased corruption. That might be his main concentration for this term. 

2. In a dastardly event, a young IPS officer was crushed to death by a tractor when he tried to stop it for inspection of illegal stone being carried. This death again brings into focus the issue of illegal mining in the country. It was really distressing to hear about this murder. The murdered officer's wife is an IAS officer and is also 8 months pregnant :(. 

3. Results of the elections for five states - Punjab, Goa, Manipur, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh were announced this week. Below are the seats won, from Election Commission's website. 

The Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP combine in Punjab won an unprecedented consecutive term to rule over Punjab. This is the first time a government has been re-elected in Punjab. And undoubetdly this credit has to go to overall development undertaken by this combine. 

In Goa, the BJP won a majority and won back the state assembly. The main campaign plank was massive mining corruption by the leaders of Congress party there.

Uttarakhand voters threw up a hung assembly. A hung assembly resulted because of some excellent goof-ups by the then BJP President, Mr. Rajnath Singh. He made Maj Gen B.C.Khanduri resign as CM when the LS results didn't go BJP's way in this state. After a spate of corruption charges against the next CM, the BJP belatedly bought back Maj. Gen. Khanduri. He revived the party and achieved an impossible task but unfortunately fell short of a majority. Sadly, even Khanduri had to lose his own election. 

Manipur voted back for Congress. The absence of a united and credible opposition seemed to have worked for Congress very well. No national leader even bothered to campaign there. A joke going around was that Congress won there because Rahul Gandhi didn't campaign there :D 

And finally Uttar Pradesh - the Samajwadi party led by Akhilesh Yadav, s/o Mulayam Singh Yadav, romped home, winning a clear majority in the UP assembly. The over hyped Rahul Gandhi won only 28 seats. Even the BJP failed abysmally by winning only 47 seats (4 less from the last time). This election also has been a slap on the english TV media but ofcourse they will not accept it! That's all, your honour!