Modi's magic waning but no time for joy yet ..............

In some ways, the BJP's loss is not as significant. It could even serve as a blessing in disguise during the upcoming national elections.
"Growing sentiment against the incumbent ruling party in those states will now work in our favor, and to the disadvantage of Congress," BJP leader Virendra Sachdeva said.
Many pundits believe the BJP should have lost more seats in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh because of the sentiment against the incumbent government. But the party's ability to stay so hot on Congress's heels suggests it is still a force to be reckoned with.
Then again, as BJP spokesman Nalin Kohli surmised, victory in the state polls can have little bearing on the parliamentary elections.

For example, the BJP won all three key states in December 2003 but lost the parliamentary elections five months later.
Now Congress will focus on patching up its wounds after suffering miserable losses in two more states, Mizoram and Telangana, which revealed the results of their elections on Dec. 11 last year.
Mizoram, a Christian stronghold, was an especially painful state for the party to surrender as it has governed there for the last decade.
Congress has gambled by forging alliances with several smaller parties, with mixed results.
In the southern state of Telangana, the party teamed up with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), but their alliance proved an unmitigated disaster when voters cast their ballots.

As both Congress and BJP sharpen their swords for the looming elections, the battle for control of parliament in New Delhi is far from over. In fact, it has only just begun.

Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi led his pro-Hindu party to an unprecedented victory in the 2014 elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been on a winning spree, snatching power in several states.But with the general elections looming in April, his Midas touch or "Modi magic" appears to be on the wane as the rival Congress Party gets back into the groove and starts to find its old rhythm.This was manifested on Dec. 11 last year when the election results for five states were declared. Congress won the three key states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. 

For many Congress supporters, the victory suggests the party, which has ruled India for the longest time since it gained independence, is finding its feet again.

Over the last four and a half years, Congress has ceded power to the BJP in Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Assam, Haryana, and even the predominantly Christian states of Meghalaya and Mizoram.

Many people believe this shows how the party led by Rahul Gandhi, a scion of the country's first political dynasty, is regaining its base among Hindu voters.

The Congress Party's recent victories in the three Hindu-heartland states augurs well for its chances of success in the 2019 general elections, according to its supporters.

Together, the three states make up 65 of the 543 elected seats in India's parliament.

In 2014 when the BJP and its allies swept the national polls, they won over 315 of the 543 seats. They also claimed 61 of the 65 seats in these key states. 

But pundits are now predicting that number could drop as low as 30 for the pro-Hindu party in the next poll.

Meanwhile, Congress's fortunes could be due for a reversal as the public grows increasingly tired of Modi's machinations and manipulations.

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