Congress falls short of 3-0 sweep in assembly polls

The Congress on Thursday emerged victorious in the assembly elections held in the three states of Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh. 

In Maharashtra, the Congress is set to retain power for a third consecutive term. It also swept Arunachal Pradesh and managed to get a slender victory in Haryana.

The Congress-Nationalist Congress Party alliance is poised to form the next government in Maharashtra, after winning in 147 of the 288 constituencies.

The combine, which had won 140 seats in the 2004 elections, may not have a problem in forming the government, with the support of the Congress and NCP rebels and Independents.

The Republican Party of India and Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena have indicated a readiness to provide outside support to the combine.

The Congress has bagged 83 seats, while the NCP has won 59 seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party bagged 49 seats and its long-term ally the Shiv Sena secured 46 seats.

The MNS won 12 seats, delivering a heavy blow to the Shiv Sena. The Independents managed to secure 39 seats.

The Haryana results came as a bit of a surprise for the Congress, which advanced polls by over seven months to cash in on its Lok Sabha performance, in which it had won nine out of the 10 seats. The party managed to win only 40 of the 90 seats, falling short of a simple majority.

The Congress now has to depend on the support of rebels and Independents who won 18 seats in the state. The BJP won only four seats. The Indian National Lok Dal won 32 seats.

In Arunachal Pradesh, the Congress won 33 seats in the 60-member House.

The party had 34 seats in the outgoing assembly. The BJP won a single seat, while other parties bagged seven seats. Three candidates -- Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu, Tsewang Dhondup and Jambey Tashi -- were elected unopposed.