The assembly election results are not all good news for the country, the government that leads it and states like Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab.
While the setbacks suffered by the Congress mean that the Manmohan Singh government will be unable to take any bold initiative on the reforms front, the scene will continue to be uncertain in Uttar Pradesh despite the majority secured by the Samajwadi Party (SP) although the outcome is expected to favour stability and purposefulness.
True the SP leaders, and especially its rising star, Akhilesh Yadav, are aware of this damaging trait in their outfit and will undoubtedly try hard to restrain the cadres.
In Uttarakhand, the virtual tie between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has facilitated the scope for horse-trading now and in future, which means that no government will be able to settle down.
Although Parkash Singh Badal's government in Punjab does not face the problem of unruly cadres or the threat of defections, its negative feature is of a different nature. Having come to power with promises of freebies such as atta-dal, electricity and water, the state government is likely to make a mockery of fiscal discipline, setting a bad example even for the centre where Pranab Mukherjee's confession about spending sleepless nights over subsidies will acquire a darker hue.
It is only Manipur and Goa which are likely to remain trouble-free for the time being with the Congress and the BJP respectively running stable governments.
While the setbacks suffered by the Congress mean that the Manmohan Singh government will be unable to take any bold initiative on the reforms front, the scene will continue to be uncertain in Uttar Pradesh despite the majority secured by the Samajwadi Party (SP) although the outcome is expected to favour stability and purposefulness.
True the SP leaders, and especially its rising star, Akhilesh Yadav, are aware of this damaging trait in their outfit and will undoubtedly try hard to restrain the cadres.
In Uttarakhand, the virtual tie between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has facilitated the scope for horse-trading now and in future, which means that no government will be able to settle down.
Although Parkash Singh Badal's government in Punjab does not face the problem of unruly cadres or the threat of defections, its negative feature is of a different nature. Having come to power with promises of freebies such as atta-dal, electricity and water, the state government is likely to make a mockery of fiscal discipline, setting a bad example even for the centre where Pranab Mukherjee's confession about spending sleepless nights over subsidies will acquire a darker hue.
It is only Manipur and Goa which are likely to remain trouble-free for the time being with the Congress and the BJP respectively running stable governments.