CHANDIGARH:
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has said that the Congress lost power in the State as it performed badly in the cities and the Majha and Doaba regions. He said the Congress would play the role of "constructive opposition."
Capt. Singh has since submitted his resignation to the Governor who, while accepting it, directed him to continue till the next orders are conveyed. Capt. Singh left for Delhi to discuss the party's defeat with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Talking to The Hindu , Capt. Singh said the party had done quite well by bagging 36 out of the 65 seats in the Malwa region that consists of the districts south of the Sutlej river. However, the party could not show similar performances in the Majha (between the Beas river and the international border) and the Doaba (between the Sutlej and the Beas).
Capt. Singh said it was a matter of concern that the party lost in all the cities after having made major inroads into the rural areas, improving its popularity among the peasantry and winning those seats which were considered traditional Akali citadels. He admitted that the party's poor performance in the urban pockets left the field open for the BJP, which ultimately came in the way of the Congress breaking the jinx that no ruling party returns to power in the State.
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